Micro-cache method and apparatus for a mobile environment with variable connectivity

ABSTRACT

A system comprising: a plurality of micro-cache devices integrated within a corresponding plurality of mobile environments; an address manager to maintain an IP address pool in accordance with IP address information received from a content provider, the address manager to associate different portions of the address pool with different instances of the micro-caches and corresponding mobile environments; a first local network manager coupled to a first micro-cache to assign IP addresses from a first portion of the address pool to requesting client devices within a first mobile environment and a second local network manager coupled to a second micro-cache to assign IP addresses from a second portion of the address pool to requesting client devices within a second mobile environment, wherein the content provider is to be provided with visibility into each micro-cache and control of access rights to each micro-cache by the client devices within each mobile environment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the following Provisional PatentApplication Numbers:

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,383, filed May 2, 2019;

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,397, filed May 2, 2019;

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,408, filed May 2, 2019;

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,414, filed May 2, 2019;

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,427, filed May 2, 2019;

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,446, filed May 2, 2019;

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,447, filed May 2, 2019;

U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,457, filed May 2, 2019.

The present patent application is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing co-pending patent applications which are assigned to theassignee of the present application:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/933,327, filed Mar. 22, 2018;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/933,330, filed Mar. 22, 2018;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/933,332, filed Mar. 22, 2018;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/933,336, filed Mar. 22, 2018;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/933,338, filed Mar. 22, 2018.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The embodiments of the invention relate generally to the field ofcontent distribution over a network. More particularly, the embodimentsrelate to a micro-cache method and apparatus for a mobile environmentwith variable connectivity.

Description of the Related Art

Offering WiFi to customers in mobile environments is a necessity formany businesses. For example, many airlines, cruise ships, bus fleets,and train systems offer WiFi to passengers. However, customerexpectations are increasingly unattainable given the variableconnectivity and minimal bandwidth during transit in these mobileenvironments.

The average household streams content on multiple devices in the rangeof 500 GB/month. When travelling, consumers are beginning to expect thesame level of network access, which is impractical on current systemsgiven the number of passengers and low bandwidth connectivity in theseenvironments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained from thefollowing detailed description in conjunction with the followingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates one embodiment of the invention for securely andefficiently delivering media content to a mobile environment configuredwith a “stranded” network;

FIGS. 1B-C illustrate embodiments of the invention for connecting amobile edge device to one or more cache systems;

FIG. 1C illustrates one embodiment of the invention which includes acapacitor and a content distribution network (CDN);

FIG. 2 illustrates additional features including allocating contentservice provider (CSP) addresses into the mobile environment;

FIG. 3 illustrates additional features including usage of the InteriorGateway Protocol (IGP) and Border Gateway Protocol for managing networkconnectivity;

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment which includes an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) cache to store content service provider content;

FIG. 5 illustrates additional details for one embodiment including acapacitor and CDN node;

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment including a transparent cache (TIC);

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment in which a CSP cache stores contentfrom a variety of sources including content providers;

FIG. 8 illustrates additional details of one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 9 illustrates interaction between capacitors and TICs in oneembodiment;

FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment for redirecting client requests to alocal cache;

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary embodiment with multiple antennas toprovide content to a TIC on a train;

FIG. 12 illustrates one embodiment of a hierarchical arrangement forpropagating content;

FIG. 13 illustrates one embodiment of an architecture for implementing amicro-cache;

FIG. 14 illustrates one embodiment of a micro-cache architectureincluding dynamic address assignment at a local network;

FIG. 15 illustrates one embodiment which uses anticipated travel pathsof mobile environments;

FIG. 16 illustrates one embodiment which includes different connectionsto a local cache in a mobile environment;

FIG. 17 illustrates one embodiment of an architecture for distributingcontent to a mobile environment;

FIG. 18 illustrates one embodiment for managing content delivery acrossboundaries;

FIG. 19 illustrates one embodiment of a CDNE cache hierarchy andtechniques for monitoring cached content;

FIG. 20 illustrates one embodiment in which a shared ledger is used toauthenticate cached data;

FIG. 21 illustrates one embodiment in which content is collected fromstranded networks;

FIG. 22 illustrates one embodiment comprising a plurality of fixed andmobile edges; and

FIG. 23 illustrates one embodiment in which a CDN extender retrievesvideo on demand data and distributes the video to a mobile environmentcache.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments of the invention described below. Itwill be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that theembodiments of the invention may be practiced without some of thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devicesare shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the underlyingprinciples of the embodiments of the invention

The embodiments of the invention meet the expectation of end users to beconnected, anywhere, anytime, even in remote locations and on the gowhere bandwidth has traditionally been limited. In particular,intelligent caching techniques are described which host content atstrategic locations. In one embodiment, caching and associated ContentDelivery Networks (CDN) solve networking congestion limitations bypre-loading content behind the point of congestion.

Existing caching and CDN technologies require continuous high-speedconnectivity to operate correctly, which is not available in mobileenvironments such as airplanes, trains, buses, and passenger ships.Consequently, these businesses are increasingly disadvantaged, creatingpent up demand for a solution within a very large market.

One embodiment of the invention addresses the lack of connectivityavailable to the mobile environment by augmenting existing connectivitywith additional high speed access points at strategic locations wherethe mobile environment can be anticipated to pause for eitherdeterministic or non-deterministic periods of time. Management of thesedual networks, in one embodiment, is provided by an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP). However, given the focus on large datasets (e.g. Video)this entity is referred to herein as a Content Service Provider (CSP).

In one embodiment, the CSP manages each mobile environment as aconnected subnetwork of the aggregate CSP's network. In oneimplementation, this is accomplished by defining IP subnetworks. Inparticular, the mobile environment is configured as a routable IPsubnetwork that may be reached either through the low speedcommunication channels (e.g., a satellite link or cellular networkconnection which is available when the mobile environment is in transit)or the high speed network (e.g., when the mobile environment reaches astrategically located high speed link).

If the mobile environment passes through several locations with highspeed networks, in one implementation, it will utilize a routingprotocol such as the Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP), to announce thatthere is a new route to the subnetwork. At all times, a lower priorityroute is available through the low speed network.

The CSP is will deploy these high speed networks in strategic locations,where the mobile environment is known to pass. The CSP may also ensurethat content can be transmitted to the mobile environment when a highspeed connection is established. This can be achieved in a number ofways, relative to various aspects of the invention

-   -   Sufficient connectivity to the edge location+high speed        connection can be engineered to ensure data transfers can be        made in a timely manner    -   Data can be transmitted to the edge location, and await further        transfer to the mobile environment when the high speed        connection is established

In one embodiment of the invention, an existing Content Provider Cache(CPC) can be hosted by the CSP at a central location, in accordance withthe requirements specified by the content provider. By way of example,and not limitation, a Netflix Open Connect Appliance (OCA) may beinstalled and hosted by the CSP. If the mobile environment establishes aconnection to a high speed connection at one or more edges of the CSPnetwork, another cache (e.g., another Netflix OCA) can initiate ascheduled peer fill from the central cache. The peer fill may be eitherinstantaneously scheduled or predictable.

In another embodiment of the invention, an intermediate storage device,sometimes referred to below as a “capacitor” device, retains the datadesignated for one or more mobile environments. The locally connectedmobile environment includes a Content Distribution Node (CDN) thatdownloads content from the capacitor when in range of the high speedconnection.

As discussed below, in certain situations, the CDN node in the mobileenvironment uploads content to the capacitor. For example, certaincapacitors configured in remote locations may lack a high speed link tothe CSP network. In such a case, as mobile environments with large CDNnodes come within range (e.g., cruise ships), the capacitor may retrieveas much data as possible from those CDN nodes and subsequently providethat content to CDN nodes of mobile environments. This facilitates themobile environment as a mechanism of the CSP to distribute contentthroughout its network and is particularly beneficial for large datasetsthat take days or weeks to transmit.

The CDN node, in one implementation, is the intermediary to one or morecache types that may be associated with the mobile environment. Forexample, a Netflix OCA, Google Global Cache (GGC), a Transparent Cacheworking with content providers, or a more traditional Transparent Cachethat simply replicates traffic known to represent desired content. Inall cases, the CDN node can allow local copies to be propagated to themobile environment in a predicable manner, where connectivity isabstracted from the caches. This permits scheduled cache fills fromcaches such as Netflix and Google; as well as other more flexiblemechanisms.

The capacitors of the CSP network host pooled content at rest. In oneimplementation of the invention, this content may be owned by otherparties (e.g. Netflix) and require visibility to where it has beencopied and distributed. For example, certain content providers such asNetflix require knowledge of where all copies of content are stored.Each copy distributed by a capacitor to a CDN node, and a CDN node to acache, may be recorded, such that all storage locations are known andreported back to the content provider. Furthermore, one embodimentprovides techniques to purge content when necessary (e.g. killing thecypher used to decode the content).

A. Embodiments of a Content Delivery Network Extender (CDNE)

FIG. 1A illustrates a content distribution network extender 110(hereinafter “CDN extender” or “CDNE”) which includes circuitry andlogic to provide content distribution support to stranded networks 130.As used herein, a “stranded network” 130 includes any form of localnetwork (wired and/or wireless) with a concentration of users 152 duringcertain periods of time and which has a limited backhaul connection tothe Internet overlapping with these time periods (e.g., such as in atransportation vehicle). Stranded networks 130 can range from WiFinetworks in mobile environments such as a ferry, train, or plane throughany concentration of consumers with Wifi/Cellular connectivity and alimited backhaul. Stranded networks 130 are sometimes referred to asbeing located at the “edge” of the CDN extender 110 networks.

In one embodiment, the CDN extender 110 includes ingestion logic 111 forretrieving content from a content channel 190 and/or one or more contentdistribution networks 101-102; analytics logic 112 to analyze contentusage and related data associated with the current context 120; atransformation logic 185 to perform specified transformation operationson the content as described herein; and distribution logic 114 tointelligently push the original content and/or transformed content tolocal CDN extenders 135 on each stranded network 130.

In one embodiment, the CDN extender 110, in combination with a pluralityof local CDN extenders 135 configured within stranded networks 130,augments the temporal lack of connectivity with high speed access pointspositioned at strategic locations which the stranded network 130 isknown to enter/pass, either for a deterministic or for anon-deterministic period of time.

In particular, the CDN extender 110 evaluates the current context 120associated with the content to be distributed (e.g., propertiesassociated with the content) before ingesting 111, applying analytics112, transforming 185 the available streams and packaging for adeterministic distribution 114.

One embodiment of the CDN extender 110 comprises an intelligent andefficient push distribution network which distributes content to a localCDN 135 based on properties associated with the stranded network 130 andproperties associated with the content to be distributed. Strandednetwork properties may include, but are not limited to, thegeo-locational schedule of the stranded network 130 (e.g., highbandwidth connection points through which the stranded network 130 willpass at given times), the capacity of the local storage 142 on the localCDN 135, and the manner in which the local CDN 135 manages IP addressesand DNS mappings to its users 152 to implement the techniques describedherein.

In different embodiments, the local storage 142 may be managedtransparently and/or may be configured as an addressed cache. The IPaddressing techniques described herein allow content providers toidentify the geolocation of the local storage 142 and can be used tosteer traffic for specific consumers/Apps to specific CDNs (includingthe CDN extender 110).

As illustrated in FIG. 1A, content can either come via CDN partners101-102 or directly 105-106 from content channels (e.g., Netflix, Hulu).In the illustrated implementation, a bi-directional control channel 107is established between the content channel 190 and the CDN extender 110,providing the content channel 190 with a high level of visibility intohow its content is being stored/used within the CDN extender storage 115and within the local storage 142 on each stranded network 130. In theother direction, the control channel 107 allows the CDN extender 110 tomake content requests/queries based on its continuing analysis andcontext 120.

As mentioned above, in one embodiment, ingestion logic 111 on the CDNextender 110 pulls/receives content through high bandwidth connectionsto content channels 190 and/or content distribution networks 101-102. Inone embodiment, the ingestion logic 111 stores the content to the CDNextender storage 115, indexing the content as required. The ingestionlogic 111 operates based on variables such as consumer feedback (e.g.,from stranded networks 130), content provider requirements (e.g., asspecified in a licensing arrangement between the CDN extender operatorand each content provider), schedules associated with the strandednetworks 130, and analytics performed by the analytics logic 112 tocreate a master content cache. The CDNE storage 115 may comprise aportion of the master content cache or the entire master content cachedepending on the implementation. For example, in a small scaleimplementation there may be a single CDN extender 110 with a singlemaster CDNE storage 115. Alternatively, the CDN extender 110 may be oneof several CDN extenders coupled together in a peer-based arrangementand/or a hierarchical arrangement. In the latter case, the mastercontent cache may be arranged at the top of the hierarchy withindividual CDNE storage caches 115 of the various CDN extenders 110pulling from the master cache as needed and potentially sharing thecontent among other peers (e.g., other CDN extenders) and the variousstranded networks 130.

As described below, the analytics logic 112 may evaluate aggregateddemand across all edges/stranded networks and prioritizes both thedistribution of content and the retention of content based on itsanalysis. In one embodiment, the analytics logic 112 implementspredictive/selective distribution based on a variety of data pointswhich may include, but are not limited to, demographics, geography,destination, edge performance characteristics, and content requirements.

The transformation logic 185 may perform modifications to content undera limited set of circumstances. For example, for extremely populartitles (e.g., identified by analytics logic 112), the transformationlogic 185 may generate one or more low bitrate versions and cause thedistribution logic 114 to distribute the low bitrate versions tostranded networks 130 with limited storage and/or bandwidthcapabilities.

For live content 105, such as a championship football or baseball game,the transform logic 185 may reduce the resolution and/or framerate ofthe original live stream to generate N low bitrate versions which it maytemporarily buffer on the CDNE storage 115. It may then transmit asingle stream into each stranded network 130 (rather than a stream peruser) to reduce bandwidth consumption.

The distribution logic 114 may then choose from one of the N versions oruse the original live content 105 based on the capabilities and othervariables associated with each stranded network 130. In one embodiment,the distribution logic 114 generates one or more personalized packagevariations of the content with a specific stream rate and a customizeduser manifest to facilitate rapid distribution when the content reachesthe stranded network 130.

In various embodiments, the distribution logic 114 may operate inaccordance with schedules associated with live content and/or streamingcontent, schedules associated with each stranded network 130, and/orpolicies associated with the streamed content (e.g., based on agreementswith the content owners or content providers). Some or all of thescheduling data may be determined/managed by the analytics logic 112 andpassed to the distribution logic 114.

Various characteristics associated with the stranded network 130 may beevaluated by the analytics logic 112 to control the transmission ofcontent to the local CDN 135. This may include, for example, the volumesize of the local storage 142 (e.g., 1 TB, 2 TB, 5 TB, etc.), staticutilization of the content (e.g., selective prioritization, up to 100%static which would be VoD), and adaptive utilization (e.g., autilization percentage for each content title, which may beanalytics-driven).

Note that the terms “logic,” “module,” and “engine” are usedinterchangeably herein to refer to the various functional componentsshown in the figures (e.g., analytics logic 112). In one embodiment,these components are implemented by program code stored in a memorybeing executed by a processor to perform the described functions. Thesefunctional components may also be implemented in hardware (e.g.,application-specific circuitry such as an ASIC), or using anycombination of hardware and software/firmware.

One embodiment of the invention includes a system and apparatus forintelligently caching data based on predictable schedules of mobiletransportation environments. In this embodiment, content is ingestedinto the CDN extender, distributed to the mobile environment, andmanaged on the remote caches, and then made transparently consumable toend user applications.

FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which a CDN extender 110operates as an Internet Service Provider for an organization such as atrain service, airline, bus service, cruise/ferry service, or any otherservice which involves a stranded network 130. In certain embodimentsdescribed below, the stranded network 130 is integrated on atransportation vehicle. It should be noted, however, that the underlyingprinciples of the invention may be implemented in any form of strandednetwork 130.

In the illustrated example, the stranded network is configured with amobile edge 185 which periodically connects to one or more fixed edges184 via high speed networks 161. Various different types of wirelessradios, wired transceivers, protocols, servers, etc., 102, 103, may beused to form the physical high speed connection including 802.11protocols (WiFi) and Gigabit Ethernet protocols. When the transportationvehicle arrives or passes by a stationary fixed edge 184, connectivitymay established using different techniques.

In one instance, a cache 155 directly connects to a transparent cache(TIC) 196 in the mobile environment, via a fixed edge 184, high speednetwork 161, and mobile edge 185. One embodiment relies on scheduledconnectivity and sufficient connectivity to complete the cache fill.This is defined by Peer Fill X=Y as indicated in FIG. 1B.

Alternatively, or in addition, a 3^(rd) party cache 157 peers with aconnected 3^(rd) party cache 115, via fixed edge 184, high speed network161, and mobile edge 185. Once again, one embodiment relies on scheduledconnectivity and sufficient connectivity to complete the peered cachefill. This is defined by Peer Fill X=Y.

One embodiment comprises a system and apparatus for temporally andspatially aggregating connectivity to a mobile cache. Specifically, thisembodiment comprises a stranded network 130 in a mobile environment thatmay come and go on a non-deterministic basis. A local store is coupledto the stranded network and a novel set of network management operationsare implemented to distribute IP addresses in the mobile environment toaccommodate the requirements of the various content providers.

FIG. 1C illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which connectivity isaugmented with both a capacitor 510 (at the fixed location) and CDN node119 (in the mobile environment). In the illustrated implementation,these devices manage the transient nature of high speed network 161, bypooling data within each device. In one embodiment, high speed network161 may be significantly faster than the network connecting thecapacitor 510 to the CSP network 152 via fixed core 159. By storingcache data at the capacitor 510, a-priori, the maximum speed availableto high speed network 161 can be achieved, and multiple mobileenvironments 150 can be concurrently and/or consecutively updated fromthe same capacitor 510.

For example, in one instance, a curated cache 155 transmits its contentsto one or more capacitors 510 in one or more locations. Then as a mobileenvironment 150 approaches a specific fixed edge 184, the physical highspeed network 161 is established under the control of fixed edge 184 andmobile edge 185. The CDN node 119 establishes connectivity with thecapacitor 510, and proceeds to download content currently stored on thecapacitor 510. The CDN node 119 in this embodiment is responsible formanaging incremental downloads. For example, the mobile environment 150,may stop at two or more fixed edges 151 over a period of time. Each stopmay only facilitate a partial transfer of data. Upon completion of afull transfer to the CDN node 119, the TIC 196 receives a continuouspeer fill from the CDN node 119. This may be defined by the equationincremental Peer Fill X=ΔY.

In one instance, a 3^(rd) party cache 157 peer fills its contents to oneor more capacitors 510 in multiple locations. Then as a mobileenvironment 150 approaches a specific fixed edge 184, the physical highspeed network 161 is established under the control of fixed edge 184 andmobile edge 185. The CDN node 119 establishes connectivity with thecapacitor 510, and proceeds to download cached content stored on thecapacitor 510. The CDN node 119 is responsible for managing incrementaldownloads (e.g., identifying content that it does not have andrequesting that content from the capacitor 510). For example, the mobileenvironment 150, may stop at two or more fixed edges 151 over a periodof time and each stop may only facilitate a partial transfer of data.Upon completion of a full transfer to the CDN node 119, the 3rd partycache 195 receives a continuous peer fill from the CDN node 119. Again,this may be defined as incremental Peer Fill X=ΔY.

In one implementation, portions of the curated cache 155 identified ashigh priority are referred to herein as a trending cache 205. In oneembodiment, cache fills from the trending cache 205 are permitted overthe low speed network 160 when the high speed link 161 is unavailable(e.g., during transit of the mobile environment 150). By way of example,the data within the trending cache 205 may be the mostpopular/frequently requested data as determined by the CSP 152. In thisimplementation, the fixed core 159 permits content from the trendingcache 205 to be routed over the low speed network 160 to the mobile edge185, and through to the CDN node 119. As mentioned, the low speednetwork 160 may include (but is not limited to) mobile wirelesstechnologies such as satellite, cellular (e.g., LTE), or long rangeWiFi. From there, a Peer Fill X=Y is completed to TIC 196 and/or 3^(rd)party caches 195.

As previously described, in some instances, a capacitor 510 may not havea high speed connection to the fixed core 159. For example, thecapacitor 510 may be configured in a relatively isolated location whichthe mobile environment 150 is expected to pass (e.g., in the middle of atrain or ferry route), in accordance with either a deterministic ornon-deterministic schedule. In this instance, a connected CDN node 119may be configured to upload specific cache content to the capacitor 510,via the mobile edge 185, the high speed network 161, and the fixed edge184. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by the capacitor 510 andCDN node 119 exchanging messages to identify cached content stored onthe CDN node 119 but not yet stored on the capacitor 510. The capacitor510 may then request such content from the CDN node 119, potentially ina prioritized order based on popularity or a “most frequently requested”value associated with each item of content in the CDN node 119. In thisway, the various mobile environments 150 become a distribution networkfor the fixed edge 184 and vice versa. That is, each mobile environment150 will provide new data to the capacitor 510 as it passes by and thecapacitor 510 may provide content to mobile environments which do notcurrently have certain content.

In one embodiment, the mobile environment 150 is an addressableextension of the CSP 152. For every established high speed network 161encountered by mobile environment 150, reachability must be accomplishedby ensuring network connectivity. Fixed core 159 provides policy routingto either the low speed network 160 or through to fixed edge 184 andhigh speed network 161. In the case where high speed network 161 isestablished, mobile edge 185 communicates back to the fixed core 159that it is connected and accessible. In one embodiment, this isaccomplished by a network router at 201 which issues an Interior GatewayProtocol (IGP) update to router 200 directly associated with the fixedcore 159. For example, the router 201 of the mobile environment mayprovide router 200 with TCP/IP data (e.g., a new TCP/IP address) thatrouter 200 can use to establish a connection to router 201.

One embodiment of the invention comprises a system and apparatus forpropagating content throughout a network using a mobile environment.This embodiment leverages the mobile environment to move data throughoutthe distribution network. For example, a train which picks up new datafrom one station may deliver the new data to other stations.

B. Propagating Content Through Mobile Environments

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the content service provider 152 may beallocated a large pool of IP addresses 202, portions of which may beallocated to the various mobile environments 150 (e.g., trains, ships,buses, planes). As mentioned, this may be accomplished by defining adifferent sub-network for each mobile environment 150 and allocating themobile environment all of the IP addresses within that sub-network.

In one embodiment, the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) may be used toexchange routing and reachability information among different networkcomponents. For example, in FIG. 2, a BGP peering connection 203 is usedto share IP addresses and locations with content providers (e.g.,Netflix, Google, Amazon, etc.) who require location information relatedto IP addresses in the mobile environment 150.

FIG. 3 highlights how an IP address in a mobile environment 150establishes a routable connection back to the CSP 152, even when movingfrom a first high speed network 161 to a second high speed network 311.In particular an IGP router 302 is aware that high speed network 311 isestablished, and propagates its local subnetwork information to IGProuter 301 within the CSP network 152. Using the updated IGP router 301,the CSP 152 may route packets to the mobile environment 150. Note thatprior to the establishment of high speed network 311 (e.g., while themobile environment 150 is in transit), IP addresses could still berouted through low speed network 160.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of content cache management in thisenvironment. In this example, a specific 3^(rd) party cache 410 isdeployed into the mobile environment 150, and is part of the CSPsubnetwork (i.e., having an IP address range allocated by the CSP). Inone embodiment, the CSP 152 identifies the range of subnetwork addresseswithin proximity of the 3^(rd) party cache back to the 3^(rd) partycontent provider 401 via the BGP Peering link 203. The CSP 152 alsodeploys a 3^(rd) party cache 402 within the CSP 152 to operate as an ISPcache 402. In this embodiment, all updates from the 3^(rd) party contentprovider 401 are made directly to the ISP cache 402 over the CSP networkgateway. The third party mobile cache 410 is then updated from the ISPcache 402 upon an event such as a scheduled or unscheduled peer fillover the high speed network 161.

In one embodiment, requests to access content from user devices in themobile environment 150 may initially be routed to the content provider401 over the low speed network 160. As a result of the BGP peeringconnection 203 which provides network connectivity information to thecontent provider 401 as described above, the content provider 410redirects the user devices to the mobile cache 410 (assuming it containsa copy of the requested content). Redirection by the content provideralso requires that the user authenticate with the content provider 401to receive authorization to render the requested content. In oneembodiment, following authentication, the content provider 401 willperform a lookup of the location of the user (e.g., with the BGP peeringdata) and see the association between the user's IP address and themobile cache 410 (which are in the same sub-network). Subsequentcommunication may then be directed to the mobile cache 410.

FIG. 5 illustrates additional details of one embodiment which includes acapacitor 510 and CDN node 520 (e.g., which operate generally asdescribed with respect to FIG. 1B). In the illustrated example, contentprovider 401 network fills are pushed out to one or more ISP caches 402.The ISP cache 402 then performs scheduled peer fills to each capacitor510 at a fixed edge 184. When the high speed network 161 is establishedat a particular location (e.g., train/airport/bus/ship terminal), thecapacitor 510 forms a connection with the CDN node 520 and providescontent to the CDN node 520 over the high speed link 161. As mentioned,the capacitor 510 may send the CDN node 520 a list of the content it hasavailable and the CDN node 520 may compare this list against itsexisting content. It may then request all (or a subset) of the contentthat it is not currently caching locally. Alternatively, the CDN node520 may transmit the capacitor a list of its content and the capacitormay perform the filtering operation to identify content required by theCDN node 520. In either case, the list of content needed by the CDN node520 may be prioritized based on variables such as popularity, contentsize, etc. This will ensure that the content most likely to be needed inthe mobile environment 150 has been transferred from the capacitor 510to the CDN node 520 (i.e., in cases where the high speed network 161 isonly available for a limited time).

In addition, as mentioned above, a reverse fill operation may beperformed in some instances where a capacitor 510 has a relatively lowbandwidth link back to the ISP cache 402 and/or content provider 401(e.g., if the capacitor is in a remote location). In such a case, when aCDN node 520 on a cruise ship, for example, forms a high speedconnection with the capacitor 510, it may perform a reverse filloperation to provide the capacitor with content for the duration of theconnection. The capacitor 510 may then provide this content to other CDNnodes for other mobile environments 150.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment which utilizes a transparent cache610. One benefit of the transparent cache 610 is that it may beconfigured as a composite of multiple caches from multiple differentcontent providers 401, 601. The additional content providers 601 mayinteract with the system in the same manner as described above forcontent provider 401 (e.g., performing a network fill operation on ISPcache 602). This embodiment addresses a problem for markets where themobile environment 150 is not of a significant size to warrant fullthird party/content provider caches. For example, an OCA cache fromNetflix will support as much as 80 Gbps of streaming traffic which isexcessive for a bus or plane environment. Moreover, a content providersuch as Netflix might not deploy such a device in a mobile environmentof under 100 or even 500 users.

In an embodiment where the content of the ISP Cache(s) 402, 602 can betrusted to be hosted on the transparent cache (TIC) 610, then the TIC610 may have a full representation of the ISP cache 402, 602. A“Sanctioned Peer Fill” refers to the ability for an ISP cache 402, 602to share its contents with a TIC 610. The capacitor 510, high speednetwork 161, and CDN node 520 operate as described above to distributethe content.

The TIC 610 of this embodiment has an easier job identifying whichrequests are to be intercepted. For example, when a user in the mobileenvironment 150 requests content from a third party content provider401, 601 (e.g., Netflix), a request is made to the content provider 401,601 over the internet 200. The content provider returns a reference toits ISP Cache 402, 602, respectively, rather than one physically locatedin the mobile environment 150. In this embodiment, the IP addresseswithin the mobile environment 150 are not distinguished. The BGP peeringconnection 203 announces ALL addresses of the CSP 152 to the Internet,including the content providers 401, 601. Furthermore, the closest cachewill be the ISP caches 402, 602. Thus the user device will attempt toconnect to an ISP cache 402, 602 and the transparent cache 610 onlyneeds to see this destination address and it can safely intercept,redirect and service the request from its local copy of the content.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, a curated CSP cache 710 storesdata from multiple content providers 401, 601 in accordance with cachefill policies. The cache is curated to the extent that a specific set ofrules/policies are used to determine which content to store. Forexample, to render caching decisions, data 702 such as cache miss data,popularity data, etc., may be gathered from each of the transparentcaches 610 deployed in the field. In addition, data 701 may be collectedfrom honey pots configured in strategic network locations on theInternet and designed to observe user trends. Other variables may befactored into the caching policy including, but not limited to customerrequests (e.g., requests from a content provider 410, 610 to cachecertain items of content).

C. Embodiments of a Transparent Cache

One embodiment of the invention comprises a transparent cache system andmethod for transparently caching multimedia content from multiplecontent providers. This embodiment implements caching of content frommultiple content providers and distributing the content as a singlesolution to the mobile environments 150.

FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment in which a central cache managementcontroller 850 managed by the CSP 152 renders decisions on whichparticular content to store from each of the content providers 401, 601(e.g., based on cache miss variables, content provider preferences,and/or other variables discussed above). In addition, the cachemanagement controller 850 determines when and how to fill content toeach of the capacitors 510 based on specified cache management policies870. For example, cache management policies 870 may indicate aparticular speed at which local caches 815 are to be filled and/or aparticular time period during which the local cache fills are to occur(e.g., in the middle of the night when bandwidth is available). Thecache fill policies 870 may be specified by feedback from user requestsand/or the content providers 401, 601 (e.g., Netflix). For example, if aparticular video is being viewed frequently by users then the cache fillpolicy 870 may specify that the cache management controller 850 shouldfill all local caches 115, 175 with this particular video.

In one embodiment, one or more content provider caches 140, 160periodically (e.g., nightly) fill one or more CSP caches 710 withspecified content. This may be done, for example, with the most popularmultimedia content (e.g., the most popular movies and TV shows). Thecache management controller 850 then fills the local caches 815 atvarious capacitors 510 via communication with corresponding local cachemanagers 812. In one embodiment, each local cache manager 812 mayimplement its own local caching policy 870 for establishingcommunication with TIC managers 822 of different transportationvessels/vehicles 820 to fill the respective TICs 825 with content. Inone embodiment, the interfaces 828, 818 comprise high speed wired orwireless links (as described above with respect to high speed network161) which operate at maximum capacity (e.g., 30 GB/s, 100 GB/s, etc.)as soon as the transportation vessels/vehicles 820 arrive or pass by thecapacitor 510. By way of example, and not limitation, the stationarycontent distribution location where the capacitor 510 is configured maybe a train station, bus terminal, cruise ship port/terminal, or airportterminal/gate. In addition, in certain embodiments described herein,capacitors 510 are strategically positioned at locations along the knownpath which will be taken by the various transportation vessels/vehicles820

In one embodiment, a user device 827 on the passenger transportvessel/vehicle 820 will initially establish a local wireless connectionwith a connection manager 823 on the passenger transport vessel/vehicle820 (e.g., on the plane, train, etc). Once connected, the user device827 may request content from the content provider 401, 601, for example,by logging in to Netflix and attempting to stream a particular movie. Ifa connection over the Internet 200 is available, the content provider401, 601 may receive the request, identify the user device 827 asoperating within the content distribution network of the content serviceprovider 152 (e.g., identifying this based on the dynamic networkaddress assigned to the user device 827), and transmit a redirectmessage, instructing the user device 827 to connect to the CSP cache 710(e.g., a Netflix OCA cache). Upon attempting to access the content fromthe CSP cache 710, the connection manager 823 and/or TIC manager 822 maydetermine that the requested content is cached locally within the TIC810 and redirect the request to the TIC 810.

The user device 827 then streams the content from the TIC 810 over thelocal wireless connection provided by the connection manager 823 (e.g.,a local WiFi connection). As such, even if the passenger transportvessel/vehicle 820 is out of range of the Internet 200 (e.g., on acruise ship at sea, a train travelling through the mountains, etc.),user devices 827 can still access authorized content locally.Alternatively, if the Internet connection 200 is available, only theinitial user requests and/or user authentication may be transmitted overthis link (relatively low bandwidth transaction) but the content will bestreamed from the local TIC 810.

Note that the TICs 610 described above may include any or all of thecomponents shown in FIG. 8 including a TIC manager 822, a physical TICcache 810 and potentially also a connection manager 823 and high speedinterface 828.

Embodiments of the invention include a system and apparatus forimplementing a high speed link between a mobile cache and an edge cache,potentially using different communication protocols and/or techniques toestablish secondary connectivity between the mobile cache and edgecache.

D. Implementations of a High Speed Link to a Mobile Environment

FIG. 9 illustrates an arrangement in which multiple transparent caches(TICs) 610 configured within different types of transportationvessels/vehicles are periodically updated over high speed network links161 established with a plurality of capacitors 510. As mentioned above,the content service provider 152 fills the caches at each of thecapacitors 510 in accordance with a cache fill policies 870. Forexample, the cache management controller 850 may distribute content inresponse to content usage data received from the content provider and/orfrom the individual TICs 610. In this embodiment, the TICs 610 maymonitor content usage throughout the day and report usage statisticsback to the cache management controller 850. The cache managementcontroller 850 may then uniquely tailor the content for each individualcapacitor location and/or each individual TIC.

As mentioned, the content service provider 152 may deploy high-speednetworks and capacitors 510 at numerous strategic locations for thecustomer and/or specific industries. Each of the capacitors 510 will beupdated from the central cache management controller 850 via a cachedistribution network as described above. It is important that all of therelevant capacitors 510 have consistent data, so that eachvessel/vehicle 820 can consistently request data whenever connected.

In one embodiment, the various TIC components described above aredeployed on the transport vessel/vehicle 820 as a network appliance witha memory for storing program code and data, a processor for executingthe program code and processing the data, and a mass storage device toimplement the TIC storage such as a set of one or more hard drives. Oneor more other network interfaces may also be included and used when thevessel/vehicle 820 is in transit (e.g., a satellite service, cellularservice, long range WiFi, etc.). The appliance may have differentshapes, sizes, and capacities. Because the goal is to have a commoncache database for all appliances, storage performance willsignificantly differ between deployments (e.g. a $1000 per 30 TB storagearray may be sufficient for 50 streaming sessions, while a $10,000/30 TBstorage array may be needed for 1000 streaming sessions).

In one embodiment, the appliance may be deployed in a single or multiplephysical components. In one extreme, the appliance is a single server,while in another, it is a rack of servers. This is because the corefunctions of the TIC can be delineated as a) management functions, b)cache storage management, c) packet interception/flow redirection, andd) serving video requests from clients (via redirect). As a result, theentire functionality could be included within a single server; or itcould be delineated/scaled by one or more servers per function. Theunderlying principles of the invention are not limited to any particulararrangement.

FIG. 10 provides an overview of an example transaction through oneembodiment of the connection manager 823 of a TIC 610. A promiscuousterminal access point (TAP) 1010 monitors packet/flow on the network,and after some analysis, a positive lookup into the cache triggers aredirect (1003). The client then re-requests the content from the localredirect http server 1020, which serves the content from the local TIC610. In one embodiment, the connection manager 823 monitors thehigh-speed connectivity via interface 828 out-of-band, and proceeds todownload cache updates where and whenever possible.

One requirement for the TIC is that it is part of a managed service.Ideally, the customer simply plugs it in and turns it on. As a result,one embodiment of the system addresses all operational elementsautonomously via a central management component 895. For example, eachinstallation may connect to the central management component 895 whichprovides a host of provisioning functions for new installations. In oneembodiment, the management component 895 uses a Linux command line, withadditional services being invoked and added as necessary.

Some example functions of the central management component 895 includesoftware updates, notifications to network operations users and/orcustomers, health monitoring including functions to report on CPU,memory, storage, and network utilization, and LAN management tools todetermine how many devices are streaming and how the LAN is performing(e.g., to identify bottlenecks).

Referring again to FIG. 10, one embodiment of the promiscuous TAP 1010uses an Ethernet port running in promiscuous mode. In this embodiment,access to an Ethernet LAN segment is provided over which all traffictraverses. The promiscuous TAP 1010 listens to all traffic, but filtersout any traffic not associated to relevant web requests.

In one embodiment, the promiscuous TAP 1010 uses a Data PlaneDevelopment Kit (DPDK) library for managing packets to perform functionssuch as a 5-Tuple Hash to delineate flows, timestamp and maintain packetorder, and support for hardware assistance. In this embodiment, packetsread from the promiscuous port are classified, timestamped, and eitherdropped or scheduled within a FIFO for processing. A multi-threadedarchitecture may be employed.

In one embodiment, once a hashed stream has been identified, the URI isextracted and checked against the TIC database. If there is a match,then both source and destination points of stream are reset with a FINpacket. But first, the source of the request is sent an HTTP 1003redirect back to the appliance. Load balancing may also be performed.The redirect may, for example, implement a round robin load balancing,or a single interface may be managed by a load balancer, with multipleservers load balanced behind it.

In one implementation, an efficient “Cache Information Base” CIB ismaintained with mirrors the actual TIC database to allow efficientdetermination as to whether a requested entry exists locally. When a TICis loaded onto an appliance, the various functions will need to lookupcontent quickly. In one embodiment, packets destined for the appliance(e.g. management and redirected cache hits), are forwarded to theManagement Function or the TIC—essentially, they are ignored by thepromiscuous TAP 1010.

Assuming wireless technologies are used for the high speed links 161, astandard MIMO implementation with an 80 Ghz band will achieve 655 Mbps.A 4×MIMO might achieve 2.4 Gbps. 24 Ghz and 60 Ghz radio equipment canalso considered. Products exist with 2.4 Gbps in the 24 Ghz spectrum,and 6-10 Gbps radios in the 60 Ghz band. In all cases, link aggregationmay be used to aggregate multiple wireless connections (leveraging GPSsynchronization, frequency spacing, and signal isolation) to multiplythis number. Conceivably this could provide throughput in the 10-50 Gbpsrange.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, in one embodiment, each stationary contentdistribution location, such as a train station, airport terminal, busdepot, or cruise terminal has multiple antennas 1101-1105 aligned to thevessel/vehicle entering the station/terminal. One or more capacitors 815are coupled to the multiple antennas 1101-1105 via a LAG switch. Themultiple antennas will transmit content from the local capacitor 815concurrently over the multiple links, potentially achieving N times thebitrate of one wireless link, where N is the number of antennas.

While a train implementation is illustrated in FIG. 11, similararrangements may be configured for ships, planes, and buses. Certainimplementations may not be able to accomplish the same connectivityaggregation (e.g. only support one radio connection). Nonetheless, 2.5Gb/s may be achieved for a single antenna solution, which should besufficient if the vessel/vehicle is stopped at the location for asufficient period of time. In any case, partial updates to the TIC mayoccur each time the vehicle/vessel stops near or passes by anothercapacitor (e.g., at each train station).

As illustrated in FIG. 12, one embodiment includes one or moredistribution gateways 1200-1203 which are repositories for content to bepushed to the capacitors 1201-1203. Each distribution gateway (DG) 1200may be set up regionally (e.g., west coast, east coast, Midwest, etc.).When a capacitor 1201-1203 is initialized, it will attempt to registerwith the DG which is closest to it (e.g., the west DG if it is inCalifornia). These regional DGs may be identified through DNS scoping(e.g. a capacitor 1201 may connect to a Vancouver-based DG vs. a NewYork DG because of the proximity).

In one implementation, the DG may simply be an API to a CDN network suchas CloudFront's or Akamai's. Ultimately each DG is provided data fromthe CSP cache 710 which capacitors 1201-1203 will request/have pushed.Given the size of the cache datasets, efficiencies such as Multicast maybe used to stream content through the cache hierarchy.

In one embodiment, all capacitors 1201-1203 in the field will registerto a DG 1200. Some exchange of dataset inclusion should scope what dataneeds to be sent to a specific capacitor 1201-1203. When new data iscurated at the CSP cache 710, each DG 1200 will initiate a transfer toits registered capacitors 1201-1203. This may be implemented as a pushor pull transaction (or both). Scheduling requirements on each capacitor1201-1203 may play a role in the specific push/pull configuration. Inone embodiment, the capacitors 1201-1203 are notified when new contentis available, and must then request the data.

In one embodiment, each capacitor 1201-1203 is a server with sufficientstorage to retain multiple cache datasets (or a single master cachedataset, from which near derived datasets can be created). The primarypurpose of the capacitors 1201-1203, is to have as much data as possibleat the high speed network edge. It may receive requests from a single orconcurrent CDN Nodes 1220-1230 (and/or TICs), and is able to fill theavailable Pipe(s).

When a CDN Node 1220-1230 (and/or TIC) connects to a capacitor1201-1203, it identifies itself, and requests an itinerary of recentupdates. The CDN Node may identify itself, for example, based on thevehicle/vessel, customer ID, etc. Based on this, the capacitor 1201-1203services the CDN Node 1220-1230 with appropriate itineraries specific tothe device. The CDN Node will then evaluate the itinerary, comparing itto what it currently has downloaded, and what still needs to bedownloaded. It will then proceed to request specific elements from thecapacitor 1201-1203.

In one embodiment, a capacitor 1201-1203 will include at least 30 TB ofstorage, with a read speed of at least 10 Gbps, but preferably 50 Gbps.The internet interface is minimally a 1 Gbps connection, but the actualInternet connection should be at least 100 Mbps. The High Speed networkinterface must be at least 10 Gbps, but preferably 40 Gbps (4×10 Gbps or1×40 Gbps). These interfaces will connect to the single or array oflink-aggregated high-speed links described above. In addition, acapacitor 1201-1203 may initiate connectivity back to the centralmanagement component 895 for management purposes. In one embodiment, thecentral management component 895 supports operations, administration,maintenance, and provisioning (OAMP) functions.

In one embodiment, each capacitor 1201-1203 will declare its inventoryassets, provisioned location, etc, and may request the identity of allanticipated customers and/or corresponding CDN nodes that may come intothe vicinity of the capacitor 1201-1203. For example, in one embodiment,the central management component 895 maintains an account database 1240which identifies all CDN nodes/TICs and associated customers and anassociation between those CDN Nodes/TICs/customers and one or morecapacitors 1201-1203.

In one embodiment, should an unexpected CDN Node/TIC attempt to registerwith a capacitor 1201-1203, an error is reported to the centralmanagement component 895 which will have the ability accept or deny theCDN Node/TIC. If accepted, the capacitor 1201-1203 records and acceptsthis action persistently (e.g. it does not need to be provisionedagain).

Based on all the known customers/CDN Nodes/TICs that will come into thevicinity of a capacitor 1201-1203, the capacitor may request the currentlist of itineraries and cache datasets (individual or master), as wellas any other customer-relevant information. The capacitor 1201-1203 mayalso register for update notifications, so when the central managementcomponent 895 and or curated cache includes new information, it can bepushed to all capacitors 1201-1203 as needed. In one embodiment,scheduling may also be employed so that when a capacitor receives anotification, it will not be acted upon until a designated time (e.g., 2am). In one embodiment, a proxy device may be configured to imitate thepresence of a CDN Node/TIC, and orchestrate the capacitor 1201-1203 asif it were connected in a standard mode of operation.

The capacitor 1201-1203 will wait for registration requests from thehigh speed network (e.g., for a ship, bus, train, or plane to arrive).When a request is received and validated, a download service will bestarted for the remote CDN Node/TIC to download new content.Essentially, once authorized, the download can be implemented in asimilar manner as an FTP service. The structure of the cache datasetshould be considered as tuple sets and blocks of tuple sets. The CDNNode/TIC knows what it has received at other locations, and isresponsible maintaining continuity between download sessions. Thecapacitor 1201-1203 in this implementation may simply be responsible formaking the tuple sets available to the CDN Node/TIC.

The capacitor 1201-1203 should be capable of handling more than one TICat a time. Clearly different capacitor configurations will havedifferent limitations, in terms of concurrent download sessions. Theprimary limitation will be the network capacity available. In a scenariowhere many CDN Nodes/TICs may be making concurrent requests, a rack ofservers all connected to a single storage array and high capacity switchmay be employed, where each server supports 2 or 3 download sessions. Inaggregate, the rack can handle 100's of sessions.

In one embodiment, a Point to Point/Multi-Point High Speed Network isused. The vehicle/vessel may connect to a point-to-point radio, or amulti-point radio. They key differentiation is that large datasets aretransmitted between the two points. If two or more vehicles/vesselsconnect to the same access point, the overall throughput will simply bereduced. As in the above example, the fastest transfer rate would beapproximately 10 hours for 10 TB. This would be doubled with 2concurrent transfers.

In one embodiment, the radios will initially connect based on a wellknown SSID and WPA2/PSK. When the Vehicle/Vessel station comes withinrange, the wireless link is established. In one embodiment, theVehicle/Vessel station will be configured as a DHCP client. The accesspoint, or the capacitor behind the access point will provide a DHCPserver. Configured within the server will be common DNS entries. Forexample “capacitor.netskrt.io” will resolve to the local IP address.

In one embodiment, the CDN Node/TIC 610 may either constantly poll thecapacitor 510, independent of the High Speed link status (e.g. if it canpoll the capacitor 510 on a specific port, then it must therefore beconnected) or the TIC can make API calls to the station radio todetermine if/when the link is present. The advantage to the lattersolution is more deterministic behavior vs. timeouts that could be tiedto diverse reasons. The disadvantage is that a hardware abstractionlayer may be needed to address changing technologies. Once theconnection to the capacitor 510 is established, the TIC 610 will proceedwith its Cache Update process described above. Of course, the underlyingprinciples of the invention are not limited to the particular manner inwhich the connection between a capacitor and TIC is made.

The Point to Point Array High Speed Network exists for an array ofwireless connections to be link aggregated between the Vessel/Vehicleand the terminal where the capacitor 510 resides (as described abovewith respect to FIG. 5). The advantage of this approach is that 10 or 20high speed connections may be established. If each connection were toachieve 2.5 Gbps, this would generate 25 to 50 Gbps High Speed Links.From a theoretical perspective, a 10 TB cache dataset 725 would betransmitted in approximately 30-60 minutes; or a 30 TB cache dataset 7252-4 hours; depending on the number of elements within the array.

This solution will work particularly well with “long” vessels/vehicles,such as Ships and Trains. Shorter vessels/vehicles may not provideenough separation between radios to permit multiple connections that donot interfere with each other at a wireless level.

The concept of an array, requires a series of radios to be placed on theside of the Vessel/Vehicle. Therefore, in one embodiment, they areconsistently spaced at the terminal. So when the train or ship docks, itwill be perpendicularly aligned with each corresponding radio. A 30-45degree sector might be appropriate to allow some play (e.g. ship mightbe 10′ off the ideal, but still captured by the width of thecorresponding radio).

If each radio has the same SSID, but only supports Point-to-Pointconnections, then once it is connected, the subsequent radios will needto connect to another available SSID. If the Vehicle/Vessel parked andthen turned on its radios, this works well. However, if the radiosconnected while the Vehicle/Vessel came to a stop, then it might resultin sub-optimal radios retaining their connections.

For example, if a ship has radios s1, s2, s3, s4, and s5 and when theship comes into port, radio s1 establishes a connection to correspondingport radio p5. As it moves forward, it loses this association andconnects to p4, p3, and p2. When finally at rest, it may not shift tos1, resulting in a sub-optimal connection of s1-p2, s2-p3, s3-p4, ands4-p5. Neither s5 or p1 connect. One solution is to have each radio witha pre-ordained SSID mate such that both s1 and p1 have “Netskrt-1” astheir paired SSID.

In one embodiment, the management component 895 is used to deploy acapacitor 510. When the capacitor 510 is activated, it registers itselfwith the management component 895, which in turn adds it to the database640 and begins monitoring it for health. If a customer logs into theportal 741, they will see the presence of the capacitor 510 and itscurrent status.

Updates may be pushed to the capacitor 510 via the management component895 which may also provision various capabilities, monitor the attachedHigh Speed Network, and perform other standard OAMP functions. Themanagement component 895 determines all known cache datasets appropriatefor the capacitor 510. Moreover, the management component may set aschedule for the capacitor 510 which may be specified via the operatorportal 740 and/or customer portal 741.

In one embodiment, the management component 895 is used to deploy newCDN Nodes/TICs 610. When the CDN Node/TIC 610 is activated, it registersitself with the management component 895, which in turn adds it to thedatabase 640 and begins monitoring it for health, cache content, andconnected state. The CDN Node/TIC 610 may be provisioned to be in amonitoring mode, or as an active cache. The management component 895 canpush cache provisioning updates to appropriate capacitors 510, that inturn will trigger an action on target CDN Nodes/TICs 610 s when themcome into range.

In one embodiment, the CDN Node/TIC 610 is configured to have a GPSlocation which is reported back to the management component 895periodically. One embodiment allows the system operator and/or thecustomer to track the location of the CDN Nodes/TICs. Each CDN Node/TIC610 may also report on its operational status on a periodic basisincluding data such as cache hits, misses, and monitoring status. Theseupdates may be reported through capacitors 510.

New cache datasets may be generated on a regular basis. At a scheduledpoint in time, each customer cache update will be scheduled for theappropriate capacitors 510 and transmitted. The mechanism for thepackaging a cache dataset is currently contemplated to be a singleMaster cache dataset, with Itineraries associated to each Customer/CDNNode/TIC. The customer may can log in through a web portal and augmentthe management policies 870 associated with its itineraries. For examplethe customer may select geographic, language, or distribution streamspecific content.

As described above, a trending cache is a special type of push operationwhich may be implemented on the low speed network link. This cache iseither auto-generated based on specifications from the customer or fromother sources (e.g. the content provider itself). A limit may be placedon the cache dataset size. Scheduling data may also be necessary for itsdistribution and can be set by the customer through their portal.Current News feeds need to be distributed in a timely manner. Eitherdirect to the TIC or on mass via capacitors.

One embodiment includes an operator portal with a hierarchical GUI toview all customers currently active. When a single customer is selectedthe GUI will display customer details; the total number of customerspecific capacitors; the health of the capacitors; the current activecache dataset; the number of CDN Nodes/TICs connected currently, lasthour, last day, last week, etc.; an error log for the capacitor; theHigh Speed Network, CDN Nodes/TICs, etc.; the total number of cachedataset transfers to capacitor; and the total number of cache datasettransfers to CDN Nodes/TICs. Additional information which may behierarchically displayed includes, but is not limited to:

-   -   Total number of customer CDN Nodes/TICs    -   Location of each TIC    -   Current state of TIC    -   Total amount of traffic generated by the TIC    -   Total number of Cache Misses by the TIC    -   Number of cache dataset 725 updates by TIC    -   Mean time to update for cache dataset 725    -   Number of capacitors 510 visited by the TIC    -   Maximum number of devices connected to TIC    -   Mean number of devices connected to TIC    -   Journey data, correlated to statisCDN Nodes/TICs    -   Total number of cache dataset 725 s/Itineraries    -   Usage metrics on cache dataset 725 s/Itineraries.    -   Efficiency of Cache Distribution (e.g. we ship 4 cache dataset        725 s for every 1 downloaded).    -   Effectiveness of the cache dataset 725 s relative to other        customers/CDN Nodes/TICs (e.g. Dataset 3 has a 20% hit rate for        this customer, while every other customer has a 60% hit rate for        the same Dataset).    -   Customer Portal Activity/History. When the customer screws        things up, need to be able to check the history of the provision        requests made by the customer. Where, what, when type of data.        Possibly have the ability to roll back changes.

Thus, the embodiments of the invention contemplate the deployment ofcaches into mobile environments with various levels of connectivity,including predictable connectivity and unpredictable connectivity. Inone embodiment, the system operator is an ISP on behalf of customer whohave mobile environments such as trains, planes, buses, and passengerships.

One embodiment of the system associates a subnetwork of public addressesto the different mobile environments (i.e., different vessels/vehicles)and peers with content providers using BGP (or other protocol). Thesystem associates the different subnetworks with deployed caches so thatthe content providers can direct client devices to the local cache.

The client device connects to the content provider on either networklink and predictable connectivity is defined by time and location. Ifthe mobile environment is in a specific location where a high speedconnection can be established for an extended period of time, on adeterministic periodic schedule, then its connectivity is predictable.

One embodiment of the system schedules cache fills with the contentprovider during these scheduled periods, because connectivity speeds canbe guaranteed to meet the requirements of the content provider. Whilethe figures show a single curated cache 155, one embodiment includes atleast one cache per content provider, to enable cache fills to peerfrom. One embodiment provides connectivity to each high speed network,back to the content cache that is used for peering

Thus, the embodiments of the invention extend the concept of an ISP toinclude special connectivity to mobile environments that otherwise wouldnot qualify as a) ISPs, and b) connected locations qualified for cachefills. These embodiments also uniquely enable existing mechanisms tolocalize to mobile environments by controlling IP addressing,distribution, and connectivity back to the content provider. Inaddition, the embodiments uniquely define a dual homing connection toenable both at en-route and at rest connectivity to fulfill uniqueaspects of the cache life cycle.

As mentioned, in some embodiments, caches are also deployed into mobileenvironments with nonpredictable connectivity—i.e., where the high speedconnectivity is not predictable form a time or location perspective. Forexample, a cruise ship that travels from Vancouver to Alaska may stop atseveral ports over the course of several days where a cache fill may beimplemented. The duration of time may differ from location to location,making it difficult for the cache to be completely filled at one stop.Thus, the cache may be incrementally updated at each stop, where thehigh speed link speed from shore to ship is set as high as possible tominimize the time needed.

One embodiment employs a capacitor and a CDN node to manage thenondeterministic nature of the high speed network. The capacitor is astorage facility with one network connection that is used for cachedistribution, and one network connection to the high speed connectionthat is used to forward content to the mobile environment. The CDN nodeis within the mobile environment and has one connection to the highspeed network, and one connection to the mobile environment. Itsresponsibility is to fully receive a cache update from one or morecapacitors over one or more locations and over discrete periods of time.When the content has been aggregated together, the CDN node can fulfilla scheduled cache fill with the local cache device. The local contentcache believes it is operating on a consistent schedule, even though ittook several stops of the mobile environment to complete.

Many capacitors can be deployed at many locations and trickle fed withcache content over lower speed network connections for costeffectiveness. Thus, there is a relationship of many mobile environmentsto many capacitor locations. Transient connections fulfill the mobileenvironment cache updates. Once the cache is updated, the address domainof the cache informs the content provider which cache serves whichclients.

Thus, the embodiments of the invention uniquely enable environments thatcannot deterministically meet the requirements of a cache deployment byaggregating connectivity over a period of time and space, to shift therequirement of update to the local mobile environment. If sufficientconnectivity events can be guaranteed between a periodic cycle toaggregate content into the local environment, then the local cache canfulfill its cache fill requirements without realizing that it does nothave a limited connection. Multiple caches from multiple contentproviders can be satisfied by these techniques.

One embodiment deploys CDN Nodes/TICs that serve content caches in ahighly scalable implementation. Building on the above implementations,the number of caches may begin to become uneconomical to deploy because(1) existing caches are targeting 10's of Gbps of streaming traffic; and(2) IP addressing is used to direct end user devices to the appropriatecache.

A transparent cache (TIC) that contains the content of one or morecontent caches can address these issues. For example, a singletransparent cache may utilize the high speed network mechanism describedabove to retain a current cache for multiple content providers.Moreover, with the ISP model, a single addressable cache may beidentified to handle and entire address domain of users. For example,thousands of end user devices could all be associated with a singlecache and the logistics shared with the content provider via BGP. Withthe system herein operating as the ISP, 100's of transparent caches maybe deployed that would intercept traffic targeting the advertised case(thus locally intercept the requests). These transparent caches thenscale well beyond the existing mechanisms. In addition, because the ISPprovides a single transparent cache for multiple content channels,economies of scale can be achieved across multiple content channels,making the solution viable.

Peering with specific content channels would implement content andsecurity certificates. If Netflix permitted the transparent cache to bedeployed with content that is equivalent to a CPC and, as reported, TLSencryption may be used for content distribution. As a result, Netflixsigned certificates would be needed to intercept and serve upintercepted requests. If the same content sanctioned from Netflix isused, as in the upstream CPC, then any request to that CPC is a validcache hit. Every flow initiated to the known CPC may be intercepted,followed by a 303 redirect to the device and service the requestlocally. The redirected request establishes a TLS session with thetransparent cache, which is fulfilled by a Netflix certificate, therebyproviding Netflix a level of control over the distribution of theircontent. Locally stored content, which is distributed with contentprovider (e.g., Netflix) permission, may now be served up to the clientdevices. A number of constructs could be introduced to ensure Netflix orother content owners can verify how content has been accessed willoutside of their scope of explicit control.

In a pure transparent cache environment, where cache data is curated inone geography and deployed in another geography there is a requirementto understand what requests are collectively the same. For example,there are more than 6500 CPC caches deployed globally. Conceivably everytransparent cache that is in a mobile environment will need to considerall 6500 addressable points to verify if a request is for alocally-stored segment of content. One embodiment crawls the internetfor cache addresses, and provide lists of addresses for comparison.Another embodiment applies contextual information of the location of thetransparent cache (or the mobile environment on which it resides) todetermine which CPC cache addresses are likely to be considered.

If the operator of the above system is the ISP of record, eitherexplicitly, or through overlay networks, the target cache addresses canbe narrowed to those provided by the operator.

Given the nature of the transient high speed/permanent low speed linksdescribed above, one embodiment of the invention evaluates the urgencyor importance of specific content and, in some instances, uses the lowspeed link to fill the TIC. The portion of the TIC containing thisurgent/important content is referred to herein as a “trending cache.”

One embodiment allocates a certain percentage of low speed bandwidth tothe trending cache to allow high-demand data to be filled into thetrending cache all the time. In some instances, all or a significantpercentage of the low speed bandwidth may be temporarily allocated tofill the cache with a particular multimedia file which is beingfrequently requested.

One embodiment uses the mobile environment to propagate contentthroughout the network. In certain embodiments described above,capacitors may be deployed in far away places that do not necessarilyhave decent high speed connectivity. For example, if a 100 Mbps link isthe maximum a remote port to a capacitor can support, then a 30 TB fillwould take approximately 28 days. in contrast, a 15 Gbps link could makethe transfer in under 5 hours. Consequently, one embodiment establisheshigh speed connections with passing vessels/vehicles whenever possibleto download content from the temporary caches over a high speed link.For example, the capacitor may retrieve content from a temporary cacheon a ship that is travelling over the course of a day to another port.Then the temporary cache on another ship travelling in the reversedirection could update sooner from the remote capacitor.

Thus, the capacitor includes two modes of operation. It would alwayshave a broadband connection, but maybe <1G would be a maintenanceconnection and >=1G would be cache fill connection. If only amaintenance connection exists, the capacitor is filled over the WAN. Ifa cache fill connection, the capacitor would not be fully filled overthe WAN.

One embodiment of the capacitor will only retrieve data from the passingvessel/vehicle which is more recent than the data it is currentlystoring. For example, if the capacitor only needs image A, then it willonly retrieve image A from the passing vessel/vehicle. In contrast, thetemporary cache on the vessel/vehicle may have out of date copies ofimages B and C, in which case it will retrieve them from the capacitor.

For example, the maintenance connection may be used to distributemetadata regarding the current cache datasets. Image A, B, C areconsidered current, and the capacitor should have them. When a CDN nodeconnects with the local high speed network, the following protocol maybe invoked:

-   -   CDN Node—do you have A, B, or C?        -   Either start downloading, or continue downloading from            wherever the CDN Node previously stopped filling.        -   If capacitor doesn't have A, B, or C, don't do anything    -   Capacitor—do you have A, B, or C?        -   If yes, capacitor either starts downloading, or continues            downloading from the connected CDN Node.        -   If capacitor already has A, B, or C, or CDN Node doesn't            have either, don't do anything

In one embodiment, the cache fill connection is used to both distributemetadata and the actual datasets. Depending on the speed of the link,and/or the availability of content, reverse filling from a temporarycache on a vessel/vehicle may make sense.

A 30 TB fill would still take 3 days on a 1 Gbps connection. If a shipshowed up with a full link, and 50% was downloaded on the WAN, it makessense to calculate what percentage could be downloaded on the 15 Gbpslink, while its available. One embodiment of the capacitor operatesaccording to a set of rules/policies. For example, one requirement mightbe that the capacitor is to download 1-50% on the WAN, and concurrentlydownload 51%-100% on the high speed connection in reverse order. Thendetermine when the whole cache has been completely downloaded.

Other implementations may download some percentage (e.g., half) when thehigh speed link is available. If complete, download half of what isstill left. If complete, download half again (similar to a binary searchalgorithm). The cache of one embodiment is downloaded in segments andany random point in time may result in the link being lost. Therefore,one embodiment includes checkpoint circuitry/logic to checkpoint thedownloads (i.e., to restart or continue as permitted).

Globally, one embodiment tracks all of the capacitors, and allvessels/vehicles that may intersect with them. By performing analytics,it may be determined how long it takes for all capacitors to come up todate. With a sufficient number of high speed network connections anycapacitor or any size could be refilled within 1-2 days.

Consequently, using the techniques described above, the vessels/vehiclesbecome a mobile portion of the network and are used to propagate updatesto remote network components (i.e., remote capacitors).

In the existing ISP partner program, cache providers such as Netflix andGoogle, allow their own property to be hosted by ISPs. Using variousmechanisms, the ISP can manipulate some of the logistical aspects of thedeployment, but ultimately, the only place the ISP sees content is onthe wire. It is only stored within the over-the-top (OTT) providersdevices at rest.

In order for certain embodiments described herein to work, the OTTprovider must be willing to support pooling of their content within thenetwork (e.g., at rest within the ISPs infrastructure); for example,within capacitors, CDN nodes, and CDN Nodes/TICs. To make thisarrangement acceptable to the OTT providers, one embodiment of theinvention implements certain protection mechanisms:

The ISP is prevented from extracting content in its native at rest form.In addition, the OTT provider is provided the ability to track where thecontent is pooled. Moreover, the OTT provider is provided the ability todelete pooled data and no third party is permitted to copy and/orextract the pooled data.

With these preconditions, one embodiment of the invention performsadditional layers of encryption on the content and provides markerswithin the data that validates its authenticity (e.g., such as a blockchain). For example, every copy of the data may receive a unique blockchain entry and key and can only be decrypted with the block chain. Ifthe data is deleted or removed, then the data is rendered useless.

Instead of a block chain, another embodiment uses a cypher that is timesensitive. For example, a copy which is made may only be valid for aspecified duration of time (e.g., a week, a few days, etc.).

E. Content Provider Caches (CPC), Micro-CPC Caches, and Temporary Caches

The embodiments of the invention described above include cachingtechniques which operate in remote, potentially mobile environments,such as Aircraft, Buses, Trains, or Ships. These techniques distributelarge datasets to remote locations with predictable distribution times.Leveraging this mechanism can lead to effective caching solutionscomparable to existing distribution mechanisms of Internet serviceprovider and media service providers.

Today, for example, Netflix and other providers use an ISP partnershipmodel to distribute content throughout the ISP network into contentprovider caches (CPCs) such as Open Connect Appliances (OCAs) deployedby Netflix. While some embodiments described below focus on specificmedia providers such as Netflix, the underlying principles of theinvention are not limited to any particular media providerarchitectures.

One embodiment of the invention comprises a micro-cache method andapparatus for a mobile environment with variable connectivity. Specificimplementations distribute a Netflix cache into a mobile environmentusing various techniques.

One embodiment of the invention includes the following features: (1) theISP (e.g., Netflix) hosts the CPC within and throughout their networks;(2) the ISP communicates which client IP addresses are associated to thedeployed CPC; (3) the ISP ensures that cache fills are fulfilled on ascheduled basis; and (4) If the content is not available within the CPCcache, then the ISP provides connectivity back to Netflix, where longtail content is retained.

One embodiment of the invention builds off of the ISP partnership model,and includes the deployment of CPC's within these remote locations.These embodiments would be particularly beneficial on vehicles such asships which have a high concentration of a large number of potentialviewers. However, the underlying principles of the invention may beimplemented in smaller mobile environments such as trains, airplanes,and buses.

One embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 13 where a micro-CPC cache system1301 configured in a mobile environment 150 does not interface with themedia provider 1310 as if it were in an ISP network. For example, ratherthan relying on a protocol such as BGP to distribute addresses ofcurrent users to the media provider 1310, the onboard micro-CPC system1301 notifies the media provider 1310 (e.g., Netflix) that it (a) has anonboard CPC cache containing a specific dataset, and (b) that it isassociated with an IP address pool 1320 that can, in turn, be associatedwith passengers (e.g., via satellite or cellular network). In oneembodiment, an address manager 1307 performs the allocation of IPaddresses within the micro-CPC system. For example, if the CSP 152 isassociated with a specific range of IP addresses such as 10.32.50.x to10.32.63.x (where x designates any number allowed by the IP addressingscheme), then the address manager 1307 may allocate mobile environment150 a block of IP addresses such as 10.32.50.0 to 10.32.50.800 or10.32.50.x to 10.32.51.x. In one embodiment, the address manager 1307dynamically assigns these address blocks to individual micro-CPC systems1301 which then assign addresses from within the allowed range to userdevices 1321.

FIG. 14 illustrates one embodiment of the micro-CPC system 1301 whichincludes a micro-CPC cache 1460, a micro-CPC cache manager 1470, and aconnection manager 823 (some examples of which were previously describedwith respect to FIG. 8). In one embodiment, the allocated range of IPaddresses 1321 for the particular mobile environment is provided to theconnection manager 825 which includes a dynamic address assigner 1475 toassign IP addresses from within the range to user devices 827 whichestablish a link over the local WiFi network 1470. A micro-CPC manager1470 manages the content stored in the micro-CPC cache and, in oneembodiment, exposes an API to the media provider 1310 to providecomplete visibility and control over the content.

The micro-CPC cache 1460 may be filled directly from the media provider1310 or may be filled through the CPC cache 1302 (e.g., where the mediaprovider 1310 fills the CPC cache 1302 in accordance with an existingfill policy). In either case, the micro-CPC system 1301 fills themicro-CPC cache 1460 in accordance with a set of rules and/or cachecuration policies implemented by the content service provider 152 andaccepted/approved by the media provider 1310. A variety of differentrules/policies for updating a micro-CPC cache 1460 are set forth above(e.g., as described with respect to the CDN nodes 520 and transparentcaches 610). Any of these techniques may also be employed to determinethe specific set of media content to be deployed on the micro-CPC cache1460.

When a passenger contacts the media provider with the media provider'sapp, application, or browser (or other content channel) on a user device827, the media provider 1310 looks up the closest CPC cache 1302 asusual, but also looks up the closest micro-CPC 1460 in the event thatsuch a device has registered itself. The media provider's app,application, or browser (once all of the credentials, DRM, Silverlight,etc., are implemented), is then directed to the micro-CPC cache 1460rather than the CPC cache 1302 allocated to the CSP 152.

Significantly, the media provider 1310 still has complete visibility andcontrol over the distribution of the CPC content, and peers with themicro-CPC provider 152 as a CPC ISP. The micro-CPC provider 152,however, then uses the augmented peer-fill implementations as describedherein to ensure that the most relevant content makes it to themicro-CPC system 1301.

In operation, a user device 827 (e.g., with the media provider's app) isdynamically assigned an IP address by dynamic address assigner 1475. Aprotocol such as the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) may beused to dynamically assign clients IP addresses from within theallocated range 1321.

Once a user device 827 is connected, it may access the Internet over theconnection provided by the plane, train, ship, or bus. This may include,for example, a satellite connection, cellular service, and/or any otherconnection available to the mobile environment during transit. If theuser chooses to access media content offered by the media provider 1310(e.g., a Netflix show or movie), then the request is sent to the mediaprovider 1310 over the established Internet connection, whichauthenticates the user device 827. The media provider 1310 may then usethe IP address of the requesting device 827 or the connection manager823 (e.g., which may be configured as an Internet router or Gateway) toidentify the micro-CPC cache 1460 within the same mobile environment. Ifthe content is locally available within the micro-CPC cache 1460, itthen transmits a redirection response to the user device 827 includingthe local IP address of the micro-CPC cache 1460 (and/or the micro-CPCmanager 1470). If the content is not locally available, the responseredirects the user device 827 to the CPC cache 1302 over the Internetlink (or to another CPC cache).

Thus, in the above-described embodiment, network fill operations fromthe media provider 1310 may be performed to the one or more CPC caches1302 configured at strategic locations within the CSP's network and asubset of this content may be transmitted over the high speed network161 coupling the mobile environment 150 to the CSP network viaedge/router device 1304 while the mobile environment is at a station,dock, terminal, etc. Regardless of the techniques used to fill themicro-CPC system 1301, the media provider maintains full visibility andcontrol over the content stored in each micro-CPC cache.

In one embodiment, this solution is only implemented on a selectedsubset of the media provider's content. In fact, depending on the natureof the environment, the media provider may provide a constrained userportal that is limited to the content available within the micro-CPCcache 1460. Thus, in this implementation, the passengers/customers wouldnot request content that is not available on the cache.

In another embodiment, a Transparent Cache such as the TIC 810 describedabove with respect to FIG. 8, is populated with the same dataset. Ratherthan direct clients to an onboard micro-CPC cache, the media provider1310 directs the requesting device 827 to a customer specific CPC, suchas CPC cache 1302 hosted by the CSP 152. The transparent cache,intercepts media requests targeting the CPC cache 1302, determineswhether the media content is stored locally, and, if so, serving thecontent locally. In this case, the IP ranges may be transmitted to themedia provider 1310 via BGP (or other protocol). Note, however, that incontrast to the micro-CPC cache 1460, the media provider 1310 does nothave access or control over the transparent cache. The advantage,however, is that these transparent caches propagate media content farmore quickly than the micro-CPC cache implementation. In the transparentcache model, the content service provider (CSP) 152 may still notify themedia provider 1310 that certain IP addresses only have access to theCPC cache content, and thus trigger a constrained portal view within theuser interfaces of the user devices 827.

Several optional features may be implemented, including a centralizedapproach where customers download the content catalog from the mediaprovider 1310, which is aware of what is present on the micro-CPC cache1460 or transparent cache. Or a distributed approach, where thenetwork-based authentication occurs, but then defers the catalog to thelocal cache. Either mechanism will essentially direct the media providerapplications running on the user devices 827 to the subset of locallyavailable media content on the micro-CPC cache 1460. Note that the term“application” is used herein to include mobile device apps (e.g., iPhoneapps), browser-based program code, and applications running on a laptopcomputer). In short, any form of program code installed on a user device827 which provides media streaming functions may be configured to takeadvantage of the embodiments described herein.

There are a number of configurations that are appropriate to differentmobile environments. For example, a bus may only require sufficientstreaming capacity to support 50-80 passengers. An airplane, on theother hand, may need to support 100, 200, or more passengers dependingon the type of aircraft. A train may need to support as many as 1500passengers, and a cruise ship as many as 6000 concurrent streams. Whilean existing CPC cache 1302 may be appropriate for a cruise ship, it isunnecessarily large for a bus (e.g., from the perspective of pricepoint, power consumption, and capability).

However, a standard 30-100 TB cache may be specified as a standardbaseline for all of the above-described implementations. The CSP 152addresses the distribution of the cache updates when a high speedconnection is available, and provides a form factor appropriate cacheappliance that delivers media streaming capabilities sufficient for eachmobile environment.

Using the existing BGP peering model, the media provider 1310 is madeaware of the closest CPC cache 1302. In one embodiment, the mediaprovider 1310 provides additional data to indicate whether the IPaddress represents a location that has limited access and/or greaterdependency on the CPC cache 1302. In this scenario, the media provider1310 treats the device in a special way, only sharing a catalog that canbe serviced by the local cache. Existing media providers 1310 may extendexisting networking infrastructures to support (a) the unique nature ofthe address pool, and (b) the locally-cached content for that addresspool.

In one embodiment, the CSP 152 implements just a single “core” CPC cache1302, and replicates the content to the various micro-caches configuredon different transportation vehicles/vessels. Having an ISP relationshipwith the media provider 1310, the CSP 152 simply references the core CPCcache 1302 with BGP, and the media provider is provided with visibilityof its media content. Each of the micro-CPC caches 1460 distributedacross various transportation fleets, are populated with the same (or asubset of) media content on the core CPC cache 1302.

In one embodiment, the media provider 1310 does not need to havecomplete visibility of the micro-CPC caches, with the knowledge thatthese caches contain no more media content than the same set ofallowable media content on the CPC cache 1302. The temporary cache (TIC)arrangement may be used for this embodiment. In an alternativeembodiment, each micro-CPC cache 1460 is individually registered withthe media provider 1310 which explicitly manages the media content andredirects clients to their local micro-CPC caches 1460 as describedabove.

F. Reverse Filling of Fixed Cache Devices

As mentioned above, a “reverse fill” operation may be performed in someinstances where a fixed environment (FE) cache such as a capacitor 510has a relatively low bandwidth link back to the CPC cache and/or mediaprovider (e.g., if the capacitor is in a remote location). In such acase, when a micro-CPC cache or a temporary cache on a cruise ship, forexample, forms a high speed connection with the fixed environment cache,it may perform a reverse fill operation to provide the FE cache withcontent for the duration of the connection. The edge device may thenprovide this content to other micro-CPC caches or temporary caches inother mobile environments when they pass within range.

In one embodiment, rather than providing all FE caches with the samemedia content at the same time from the CPC cache 1302, the CPC cache1302 will transmit different data to each of the FE caches. FIG. 15illustrates one particular example with three FE devices 1501-1503 eachequipped with an FE cache 1511-1513. Rather than streaming all of thesame content from the CPC cache 1302, this embodiment may divide thecontent between each of the three FE caches 1511-1513. Thus, forexample, if the bandwidth to each FE device 1501-1503 is the same, ⅓ ofthe total media content may be transmitted to each FE cache 1511-1513.If each FE device 1501-1503 is configured at a different train station,for example (i.e., the mobile environment 150 is a train), then themicro-CPC cache or temporary cache 1520 will receive ⅓ of the totalcontent from each FE device 1501-1503 and will have all of the contentwhen leaving the station with FE device 1503. An advantage of thisapproach is that the aggregate capacity to the FE devices 1501-1503 isthe sum total of all links to all stations as opposed to being limitedto the slowest link to one of the stations. In one embodiment, thereverse fill techniques described above may also be implemented in thisenvironment to transmit media content from the micro-CPC cache ortemporary cache 1520 to one or more of the FE devices 1501-1503 (e.g.,in cases where the network connection to the CPC cache 1302 is degradedor lost).

In one implementation, the amount of media content transmitted to eachFE device 1501-1503 is prorated relative to its link capacity to the CPCcache 1302. For example, if FE device 1501 has a 200 Mbps link, FEdevice 1502 has a 300 Mbps link and FE device 1503 has a 500 Mbps link,then 2/10, 3/10, and 5/10 of the media content, respectively, may betransmitted to these devices. Once the allocated portion of the mediacontent has been transferred to each FE device 1501-1503, the CPC cache1302 may begin to transmit the remaining data. For example, if 2/10 ofthe media content has been distributed to FE device 1501 and there isstill 30 minutes remaining before the train leaves the station, then theCPC cache 1302 may transmit as much of the remaining 8/10 of the mediacontent as possible to the FE cache 1511 within the remaining time.

An additional optimization may be applied to the above embodiments.Media content can be encoded into many small files, most of which havenonsensical hashed names. The core CPC cache 1302 may attempt to groupthese files together to ensure that a cohesive set of media content canbe retrieved from each FE device 1501-1503. For example, with 10 movies,each encoded into 100 files, resulting in 1000 total files, the utilityof the media content will be based on the specific grouping of filescapable of being retrieved by the user device. For example, a user mayonly begin to play a movie if that user has the correct set of filesrequired for playback (e.g., file numbers 1-10 associated with movie#1). If the media content in the above example is distributed as 33files from each movie to each FE cache 1511-1513, then no FE will haveany complete movies, and the utility is zero.

To address this issue, one embodiment of the system determines theparticular set of files associated with each movie and attempts todistribute these files to the same FE cache 1511. For example, movies1-3 may be sent to FE device 1501; movies 4-7 to FE device 1502, andmovies 8-10 to FE device 1503. In addition, the files for a given moviemay be transmitted sequentially, starting from the beginning of themovie to the end of the movie. Then at least those movies can be viewedwhile waiting on the rest of the movies to arrive on the micro-CPC cacheor temporary cache 1520.

In this embodiment, a media streaming analytics engine 1540 may monitorwhich files are sequenced relative to one another. For example, when auser watches Movie #1, the specific sequence of files streamed to theclient may be tracked by the media streaming analytics engine 1540 andstored as a media file mapping 1530 (e.g., a table data structureassociating each media item with a plurality of files). Of course, ifthe media provider 1310 provides metadata relating the files to mediaitems, then the metadata may be used for this purpose.

Upstream content distribution networks (CDNs) such as those operated byAkamai and Amazon CloudFront are implemented as proxy caches whichrequest and store content from upstream caches when the content isrequested locally. One embodiment of the invention utilizes componentsof this architecture, but requests upstream data intelligently, based onaccumulated requests distributed across all vehicles/vessels in thefleet.

Referring to FIG. 16, the bulk updates described herein, between a fixededge 1610 and local cache 1620 within a mobile environment 150, addresssome of the physical limitations associated with sending requestsupstream. When a vehicle/vessel 150 arrives at a station, high speednetwork links 161 are used to provide these bulk updates. Providing bulkdata at the lowest level of the CDN hierarchy (e.g., local cache 1620)ensures that upstream requests generated within the mobile environment150 will be reduced.

Given a large number (e.g., 100) of vehicles/vessels in the field, cachemisses will occur somewhat distributed across the differentvehicles/vessels, although some may occur concurrently (e.g., when abreaking story is reported in the news). In one embodiment, cache missrequests generated in the mobile environment 150 are transmitted overthe low speed network (e.g., cellular, satellite) 1350 back to the coreproxy cache 1605. If necessary, the core proxy cache 1605 will callupstream 1600 to fetch the data and send it down to the local cache 1620in the requesting mobile environment 150. Any other passengers in themobile environment 150 who attempt to view the media will be serveddirectly from the local cache 1620.

In this implementation, the core proxy cache manager 1601 becomes awareof the cumulative activity from all mobile environments 1610, includingall local cache misses which were serviced from the upstream CDN servers1600 and stored in the core proxy cache 1605. When each individualmobile environment 150 arrives at a fixed edge 1610 with a high speednetwork 161, the core proxy cache will include up-to-date content fromthe cumulated misses, which will be pushed out to each mobileenvironment. Effectively, for 100 trains, for example, the 100 trainsaggregate misses, and the results are shared after the next updatecycle.

In one embodiment, if the same requests are seen originating frommultiple mobile environments (e.g., using a threshold such as 10%, 15%,etc.) then the requested content may be categorized as a high demanditem. Consequently, this media item may be pushed out to all mobileenvironments 150 via the low speed network 1350, anticipating that avery high percentage of passengers will want to access it.

In summary, a single core proxy cache 1605 becomes the sum total ofrequests from N mobile environments (e.g., where N=50, 100, 400, or anyother number). The requested content is pushed out from the core proxycache 1605 to all N mobile environments over the high speed network in acourse grained frequency (e.g., daily), using finer grained frequency(e.g., minutes), potentially over the low speed network 1350 for itemswhich are determined to be in very high demand.

Certain embodiments deploy media caches in remote locations whereessential static content may be managed and viewed locally. In thisimplementation, the distribution techniques can be considered orthogonalto the consumption techniques, as with current video on demand (VOD)systems.

Using one embodiment of the invention, rather than deploying a VODsystem on a single vessel/vehicle, the VOD system may be deployed on apublic or private website. Consequently, anyone who can reach thatwebsite is provided with the same experience as a passenger on thevessel/vehicle.

In one embodiment, the public/private website is mapped to the CDNdescribed in FIG. 16, or any of the other implementations describedabove, and the entire website and CDN content is replicated onto eachvessel/vehicle concurrently and consistently. The experience of a trainpassenger, for example, is that they are visiting the public/privatewebsite, but instead the local cache 1620 is providing the website dataand media content as a cache instance.

As mentioned, one embodiment of the invention includes a system andmethod to analyze content usage and mobile environment data toprioritize and schedule distribution of the content.

G. Prioritizing and Scheduling the Distribution of Learned Content

FIG. 17 illustrates one embodiment of an architecture which includesauthentication and access logic 1705 to securely connect to the contentorigin 1701 (e.g., a content provider) and retrieve the content to bedistributed. An analysis engine 1710 evaluates data related to thecontent and the usage of the content to determine a demand value foreach item of content. A demand engine 1715 evaluates the demand value incombination with timing data, cache misses, and profile data related tothe mobile environments (e.g., storage capacity, overall and per-userbandwidth).

Based on the evaluation performed by the demand engine 1715, thepackager logic 1720 performs modifications certain content. For example,for extremely popular titles (e.g., identified by the analysis engine1710 or demand engine 1715), the packager 1720 may generate or acquiredifferent bitrate versions of the content. Any transformations performedmay be specified by the packager 1720 in customized manifest files1750B-D and transmitted to each respective mobile environment 150. Thecustomized manifest files 1750B-D may be generated using data from anoriginal manifest file 1750A provided by the content provider. Briefly,a manifest file specifies the different bitrates available for theassociated content. In this embodiment, the manifest file 1750A ismodified to generate manifest files 1750B-D customized for eachindividual mobile environment 150 so that a video player or web browsercan identify the highest quality content available locally (e.g., whenthe high speed network is disconnected).

In one embodiment, a scheduler 1725 generates a distribution schedulefor transmitting the various items of content based on known oranticipated schedules of the mobile environments 150 and the anticipateddemand for each item of content within each mobile environment 150.

Once the schedules are set, distribution logic 1730 manages transmissionto each of the mobile environments 150 and reports results back to thescheduler 1725 and/or content provider. The content may be distributedvia any available network technology including, but not limited to, highspeed Ethernet, WiFi, cellular (e.g., 5G), mmWave, and SneakerNet.

In one embodiment, the architecture in FIG. 17 makes optimal use of theconstrained connections to the mobile environments 150 by implementingone or more of: (1) multi-factor analytics to prioritize and determinean order in which to transmit titles; (2) a multi-path distributionsystem; (3) real-time queuing constraints; and (4) profile-basedconstraints.

With respect to multi-factor analytics, the demand engine 1715 mayimplement explicit prioritization and/or prioritization based on learneddemand. Explicit prioritization may be employed by setting priorityvalues for certain content based on the anticipated demand for thosetitles. For example, when a blockbuster movie is initially released forstreaming, it may be assigned a relatively high priority. The demand forthe movie may then be tracked over time and the priority level adjustedaccordingly. The learned demand is the demand determined by monitoringcontent usage. In one implementation, the priority is selected from oneof several discrete priority values (e.g., priorities 1-5). Thus, thelearned demand may be adjusted for content based on crossing of athreshold (e.g., total requests, number of cache misses, etc.). Inaddition, multi-factor analytics may involve explicit, timed delivery.That is, specific content can be “watched for” at specific times anddelivered with high priority regardless of cache misses.

With respect to multi-path distribution, in one embodiment, thescheduler 1725 schedules different priority content using differentqueues 1726A-B. For example, lower-priority content may be stored in a“bulk” queue 1726B for distribution when the edge nodes of the mobileenvironment 150 have a high-capacity connection (such as when they areat a station). Higher-priority content may be stored in a “real-time”queue 1726A for distribution over any available connections includingcellular connections.

With respect to real time queuing, the scheduler 1725 may take variousconstraints into consideration. This may include, for example, limits onhow much bandwidth can be consumed at different times and limits on howmuch data can be utilized over a given timeframe.

With respect to profile-based constraints, the packager 1720 may tailorany transformations/packaging of the content in accordance withlimitations of each mobile environment 150. For example, edge nodes mayhave different cache capacities so content can be selectively targetedfor different nodes based on available space vs. priority. In addition,the demand engine 1715 may evaluate profile data and other relevant datato tailor prioritization based on regional location (e.g., specificcontent can have different priorities in different geographicalregions).

H. Embodiments for Trans-Border Movement of CDN Content

One embodiment of the invention includes a system and method to supporttrans-border movement of media content. In particular, because thedifferent laws in different jurisdictions relate to the propermanagement of media content, when a transportation vehicle passesbetween jurisdictions these embodiments dynamically adjust the manner inwhich the media content is managed.

In one embodiment, because the availability of content needs to alignwith the region that the vehicle is in at any given point, theapplications that access the mobile cache need to be know what regionthey are in, and access cache information appropriately. Thus, in themobile CDN environment, the connection—which remains fixed within thelocal transportation environment—must reflect the current geolocation.

One embodiment will be described with respect to FIG. 18, which providesan example in which a mobile environment 150 moves between a firstcountry 1810 in which it uses a first public IP address (1.2.3.4) and asecond country 1811 in which it uses a second public IP address(5.6.7.0/32). In one embodiment, the vehicle IP Address in the mobileenvironment 150 goes through NAT circuitry 1820 to perform networkaddress translations to an IP subnetwork of the “home” region aspreviously described. The NAT circuitry 1820 may be integral to thenetwork router configured within the mobile environment 150.

In one implementation, IP mappings 1830 are stored within the networkrouter and used to translate between the public IP addresses ofcountries 1810-1811 and the local IP addresses used within the mobileenvironment 150. The cached content in the mobile environment 150 is asuperset of all regions associated with the route of the journey. Basedon a GPS event 1815 being detected (e.g., in response to a GPS deviceindicating movement between the countries 1810-1811), a route isinserted ahead of the network address translation to reflect newregional IP Address (e.g., 5.6.7.0 instead of 1.2.3.4).

As the user app 1850 (e.g., a Netflix app on a mobile device or otherapp for rendering video content) continues with the home source, the newregional IP address is geo-located by the content owner's currentprocesses (e.g., a lookup that links the IP address to a particularcountry) and a decision is made as to whether to continue streamingbased on the requirements of the new country 1811.

I. CDNE Cache Hierarchy with Advanced Content Tracking, Security, andVisibility to Content Owners

One embodiment of the CDNE includes a multi-tier cache hierarchy withadvanced content tracking, security, and visibility features. Forexample, one embodiment implements an immutable ledger for tracking andmanaging content distributed across a plurality of mobile environmentsand sourced from a plurality of content providers. In particular, BlockChain-based immutable ledgers may be used to track and verify wherecontent is distributed within the CDN network extender footprint,including all fixed and mobile caches maintained by the CDN extender110. For content providers and owners requiring demonstrable control ofcontent titles across the entire network, these embodiments also providesecure and fully auditable tracking of each title from the time itenters the network of the CDN extender 110 until the time it is purgedfrom the system. At any intermediate points where a title is cached, itis an encrypted blob, giving the content owner or provider all of thecharacteristics of an encrypted tunnel from their current, large-scaleedge network to all cached instances of the content including, but notlimited to, content stored at the fixed edges 184, mobile edges 185, andmicro-CPC caches 1460, to name a few.

One particular implementation will be described with respect to FIG. 19,which shows a content origin service 1905A such as Netflix coupled to aplurality of content provider caches (CPCs) 1911-1913 (e.g., OCA cachesfor Netflix) over a source network 1901. In this embodiment, the CDNextender 110 includes a CDNE core cache 1920 which establishes a peerconnection to one or more of the CPCs 1912 to receive peer filloperations, populating its cache with content from the CPCs 1911-1913.

In one embodiment, the CDNE core 1920 is at the top tier of the CDNE 110caching hierarchy, potentially caching all or a large subset of titlesoffered by the content origin service 1905A. While only a single CDNEcore 1920 is shown for simplicity, the CDNE extender 110 may includeseveral CDNE cores 1920 which maintain coherency via peer-based messagepassing, a shared directory database, or other synchronizationtechniques. In one embodiment, the CDNE core 1920 participates as a peerin the content owner's direct-to-ISP network.

A plurality of intermediate hub devices 1930-1932 receive contentupdates from the CDNE core 1920 over secure communication channelswithin the network of the CDNE extender 110 and pass the content updatesto the edge caches 1940-1942. In one embodiment, the content istransmitted over encrypted communication channels to protect theunderlying media content (e.g., encrypted with transport-layer security(TLS) and/or using a shared ledger architecture as described below).

One embodiment of the invention continually updates a content directory1950 to reflect the propagation of content throughout the network of theCDN extender 110. For example, FIG. 19 shows the CDNE core 1920generating an entry updating the content directory upon receipt of aparticular media content title and the edge caches 1940-1942 updatingthe content directory 1950 upon receipt of the media content from thehubs 1930-1932. In one embodiment, a new entry is added to the contentdirectory 1950 for each content title received at each edge cache1940-1942 and the CDNE cores 1920. Each entry includes an identifier ofits current location, a decryption key, a source indication (i.e.,specifying the network component from which it received the content),and a timestamp (indicating the time at which the content was received).With the proper authentication, the content owner/provider 1905A canthereby track the location of any of its content as it is distributedacross the network of the CDN extender 110.

As illustrated in FIG. 20, in one embodiment, a shared ledger fabric2000 is used to provide heightened authentication and security. Theshared ledger fabric 2000 establishes a channel to each content ownercarried over the network of the CDNE 110. When a content title isreceived, a ledger entry is generated within the shared ledger fabric2000 to record the event. The content owner/provider may thenauthenticate and view the ledger entry.

In one implementation, an encryption key is received from the contentowner which the CDNE 110 uses to encrypt and package the content fordistribution. They CDNE 110 may receive the encryption key directly orvia the shared ledger 2000. The encrypted title package is transmittedthrough the CDNE network, including the intermediate hub locations1930-1932 where it is stored in its encrypted form. When the contenttitle reaches one of the edge caches 1940-1942, the key is received fromthe content owner 1905A-B which the edge caches 1940-1942 use to decryptthe package and load the underlying content into one or more operationalcaches. A ledger entry records the event and is visible immediately tothe content owner/provider, as a record of each new copy of theircontent. For example, a content title may be purged from an edge cache1940-1942 to make room for newer/higher demand content.

The shared ledger 2000 is responsively updated to reflect the changesand made immediately visible to the content owner. In oneimplementation, the content owner is provided with the option to issue a“revoke” transaction (via the shared ledger or outside the sharedledger) which it may execute to purge a content title from each CDNElocation (e.g., cores, edge caches).

In embodiment the shared ledger fabric 2000 is implemented usingblockchain-based security. In particular, the ledger fabric 2000comprises a list of records, called blocks, where each block contains acryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transactiondata (generally represented as a Merkle tree). In this implementation,each entry of the content directory 1950 includes a key which is a hashof the previous entry. This embodiment results in an immutable ledger totrack and verify where content is distributed within the CDNE 110.

In addition, at any intermediate points such as the hub devices1930-1932, media content titles are stored as encrypted blobseffectively providing an encrypted tunnel between the content provideredges such as CPC caches 1302 and the CDNE edges 1940-1942 and/ormicro-CPCs 1460.

J. Caching Aggregate Content Based on Limited Cache Interaction

Referring to FIG. 21, one embodiment of the invention aggregates contentacross its caches 2105 using data collected from the various mobileenvironments, thereby reducing bandwidth from the various contentchannels 190. In particular, this embodiment builds caches 2105 based onaggregate inputs from stranded networks 130A-B and a contextualawareness of the specific data being cached.

Traditional content delivery networks cache the content that one useraccesses so that other users can be served that same content morequickly next time. In the constrained mobile environment, however, thereis not a sufficient scale for this to work. One embodiment flips thisproblem around. In particular, in response to certain events (e.g., athreshold number of misses within local storage 142A-N of local CDNextenders 135A-N), a trigger-based content collector 2110 attempts toretrieve every segment for an entire content title from the strandednetworks 130A-N of passing mobile environments 150. In one embodiment,the trigger-based content collector 2110 attempts to retrieve segmentsat all, or a specified set of content bitrates.

In addition, as stranded networks 130A-N of mobile environments pass bythe CDN extender 110, the trigger-based content collector 2110progressively pushes segments which are not found on the associatedlocal storage devices 142A-N, thereby synchronizing the local storagedevices 142A-N with respect to particular content titles.

The content collector 2110 may implement both proactive and dynamictechniques populate its cache 2105. For example, on a periodic schedule,it may scan a content provider's website looking for new content titlesand adding each new network address to a retrieval queue 2111. It maythen work through its queue 2111 to pull the content titles from thewebsite.

In addition, the trigger-based content collector 2110 may operate basedon cache miss data aggregated across all edge nodes. Each cache miss maybe evaluated and the corresponding URL extrapolated to identify the fullcontent title, which may be added to the collector's queue 2111. The endresult is complete titles collected at the core cache 2105 of the CDNextender 119 that are available for distribution to the edges.

One embodiment of the invention comprises a system and method fortransforming video manifests for more efficient media distribution andstorage. In particular, this embodiment reduces the number of activeflows within a manifest that makes up a title (storage reduction) andperforms progressive distribution of flows to ensure more rapiddistribution of a given title (e.g., by transmitting lowest bitratecontent first, then medium bitrate content, then the highest bitratecontent).

As previously described with respect to FIG. 17, the manifest file 1750Ainforms the player app on the end user device what stream rates areavailable for a title. The higher-rate streams collected by the contentcollector 2110 are significantly larger than the lower-rate streams,which creates an opportunity to optimize distribution and/or storage.

In order to make optimal use of the real-time delivery channel, thepackager 1720 generates a special package for a content title with thehigher-rate streams removed and modifies the manifest file 1750Aassociated with the content title, excluding one or more entriesassociated with the highest bitrates to generate the one or morecustomized manifests 1750B-D. The smaller media file can then betransmitted through the real-time queue 1726A of the scheduler 1725 forimmediate availability in the mobile environments 150. In contrast, thefull package containing all of the stream rates (and the full manifest1750A) can be added to the bulk delivery queue 1726B. In oneimplementation, when the mobile environment edge enters a bulk window oftime, such as when the mobile environment 150 has a high-capacityconnection (e.g., at a station), the low bitrate version is replacedwith the high bitrate version.

In addition, one embodiment services cache misses in real-time. Inparticular, this embodiment proactively creates and distributes specialmanifests for content that has not been distributed yet thatspecifically references only the low streaming rates. This leveragesnormal cache behavior to cache the low rate segments as they stream. Oneimplementation limits the number of concurrent streams allowed; once thelimit is reached, then others are blocked from starting.

K. Leveraging Mobile Environment to Distribute Cache Data

One embodiment of the invention leverages the mobile environment todistribute cache data using a reverse fill. This embodiment relies ondistribution protocols enable rapid distribution of content throughout adiverse fleet of mobile environments 150.

Moving petabytes of data across a network has the potential to incurhigh data costs. The introduction of the intermediate “hub” nodes1930-1932 between the CDNE core 1920 and edge nodes 1940-1942 createsthe opportunity to capitalize on the movements of the edge nodes1940-1942 to progressively distribute content across the network.

As new titles are collected, they can be “sprayed” across the hub nodes1930-1932. So, for example, content title 1 may go to hub 1930 andcontent title 2 may go to Hub 1931. When edge 1940 arrives at hub 1930,it picks up content title 1 and then it travels to hub 1931. At hub1931, it drops off content title 1 and then picks up content title 2.When it gets back to hub 1930, it then drops off content title 2. Withmore edges and hubs, the process is multiplied, significantly reducingthe usage and cost associated with the connection to the contentprovider's network.

FIG. 22 illustrates one embodiment in which fixed edges 2210-2212 arepopulated from both a core cache 2201 and mobile edges 2220-2222. Astatus collector 2205 gathers data from each of the fixed edges2210-2212 and mobile edges 2220-2222 indicating the content titles andassociated segments stored thereon. The data is then provided to contentdelivery administrators via a dashboard graphical user interface (GUI)2201.

L. Enabling Walled Garden Solutions with Mobile CDN

One embodiment of the invention implements a walled garden with a mobilecontent delivery network (CDN). This embodiment transforms a walledgarden solution where every mobile environment hosts its own footprint,to one where a single over-the-top (OTT) or Intranet-based streamingsolution is managed by the CDN extender 110.

There are two significant challenges with current walled gardensolutions, also known as video on demand (VoD) systems, that lead totheir limited adoption including the fact that relatively static, stalecontent is labor-intensive to update. In addition, accessing the contentrequires either a special app to be downloaded before users are on thevehicle, or a locally-managed website on each vehicle.

In one embodiment, the VoD system is deployed as a public or privatewebsite, which is then mapped as a content source in the mobile contentdelivery networks described herein. The techniques described herein arethen used to replicate the content across all of the mobile environments150. The end user in the mobile environment 150 then accesses thecontent like any other website, except that all of the data is served bythe cache so no external connectivity is required. From the perspectiveof the service provider, the user only needs to update the one primarywebsite and the CDN extender 110 handles the distribution to all oftheir vehicles.

One embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 23, which shows a video on demand(VoD) node 2311 of a content distribution network 2301. The CDN extender110 pulls content from the VoD node 2311 as described herein and storesthe content within the micro-CDN core cache 2320. The CDN extender 110pushes the content to the micro-CDN caches 1921 of the various mobileenvironments 150 as described herein.

Embodiments of the invention may include various steps, which have beendescribed above. The steps may be embodied in machine-executableinstructions which may be used to cause a general-purpose orspecial-purpose processor to perform the steps. Alternatively, thesesteps may be performed by specific hardware components that containhardwired logic for performing the steps, or by any combination ofprogrammed computer components and custom hardware components.

As described herein, instructions may refer to specific configurationsof hardware such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)configured to perform certain operations or having a predeterminedfunctionality or software instructions stored in memory embodied in anon-transitory computer readable medium. Thus, the techniques shown inthe figures can be implemented using code and data stored and executedon one or more electronic devices (e.g., an end station, a networkelement, etc.). Such electronic devices store and communicate(internally and/or with other electronic devices over a network) codeand data using computer machine-readable media, such as non-transitorycomputer machine-readable storage media (e.g., magnetic disks; opticaldisks; random access memory; read only memory; flash memory devices;phase-change memory) and transitory computer machine-readablecommunication media (e.g., electrical, optical, acoustical or other formof propagated signals—such as carrier waves, infrared signals, digitalsignals, etc.).

In addition, such electronic devices typically include a set of one ormore processors coupled to one or more other components, such as one ormore storage devices (non-transitory machine-readable storage media),user input/output devices (e.g., a keyboard, a touchscreen, and/or adisplay), and network connections. The coupling of the set of processorsand other components is typically through one or more busses and bridges(also termed as bus controllers). The storage device and signalscarrying the network traffic respectively represent one or moremachine-readable storage media and machine-readable communication media.Thus, the storage device of a given electronic device typically storescode and/or data for execution on the set of one or more processors ofthat electronic device. Of course, one or more parts of an embodiment ofthe invention may be implemented using different combinations ofsoftware, firmware, and/or hardware.

Throughout this detailed description, for the purposes of explanation,numerous specific details were set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, toone skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without someof these specific details. In certain instances, well known structuresand functions were not described in elaborate detail in order to avoidobscuring the subject matter of the present invention. Accordingly, thescope and spirit of the invention should be judged in terms of theclaims which follow.

I claim:
 1. A system comprising: a plurality of micro-cache devicesintegrated within a corresponding plurality of mobile environments; anaddress manager to maintain an internet packet (IP) address pool inaccordance with IP address information received from a content provider,the address manager to associate different portions of the address poolwith different instances of the micro-cache devices and correspondingmobile environments; a local network manager coupled to each micro-cachedevice in each mobile environment to provide network connectivity toclient devices within each mobile environment, a first local networkmanager coupled to a first micro-cache device to assign IP addressesfrom a first portion of the address pool to requesting client deviceswithin a first mobile environment and a second local network managercoupled to a second micro-cache device to assign IP addresses from asecond portion of the address pool to requesting client devices within asecond mobile environment; and wherein the content provider is to beprovided with visibility into each micro-cache device and control ofaccess rights to each micro-cache device by the client devices withineach mobile environment, wherein the visibility into a micro-cachedevice includes visibility of what content from the content provider atthe micro-cache device has been copied and distributed to the clientdevices.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the address manager is toreport the portions of the IP address pool assigned to each mobileenvironment.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the mobile environmentcomprises a transportation vehicle or vessel.
 4. The system of claim 3further comprising: a mobile high speed network interface within eachmobile environment to establish a high bandwidth link to a fixed highspeed network interface when the transportation vehicle or vessel iswithin range.
 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the fixed high speednetwork interface is coupled to a corresponding micro-cache device toenable a high bandwidth connection to the content provider and/or acontent service provider for mobile environments.
 6. The system of claim5 wherein the content provider or content service provider for mobileenvironments is to update the corresponding micro-cache device with newcontent upon the high bandwidth link being established.
 7. A methodcomprising: storing content titles within micro-cache devices integratedwithin a corresponding plurality of mobile environments; maintaining aninternet packet (IP) address pool in accordance with IP addressinformation received from a content provider by an address manager, theaddress manager to associate different portions of the address pool withdifferent instances of the micro-cache devices and corresponding mobileenvironments; providing network connectivity to client devices withineach mobile environment, including: assigning IP addresses from a firstportion of the address pool to requesting client devices within a firstmobile environment; and assigning IP addresses from a second portion ofthe address pool to requesting client devices within a second mobileenvironment; and providing the content provider with visibility intoeach micro-cache device and control of access rights to each micro-cachedevice by the client devices within each mobile environment, wherein thevisibility into a micro-cache device includes visibility of what contentfrom the content provider at the micro-cache device has been copied anddistributed to the client devices.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein theaddress manager is to report the portions of the IP address poolassigned to each mobile environment.
 9. The method of claim 8 whereinthe mobile environment comprises a transportation vehicle or vessel. 10.The method of claim 9 further comprising: a mobile high speed networkinterface within each mobile environment to establish a high bandwidthlink to a fixed high speed network interface when the transportationvehicle or vessel is within range.
 11. The method of claim 10 whereinthe fixed high speed network interface is coupled to a correspondingmicro-cache device to enable a high bandwidth connection to the contentprovider and/or a content service provider for mobile environments. 12.The method of claim 11 wherein the content provider or content serviceprovider for mobile environments is to update the correspondingmicro-cache device with new content upon the high bandwidth link beingestablished.
 13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having programcode stored thereon which, when executed by a machine causes the machineto perform the operations of: storing content titles within micro-cachedevices integrated within a corresponding plurality of mobileenvironments; maintaining an internet packet (IP) address pool inaccordance with IP address information received from a content providerby an address manager, the address manager to associate differentportions of the address pool with different instances of the micro-cachedevices and corresponding mobile environments; providing networkconnectivity to client devices within each mobile environment,including: assigning IP addresses from a first portion of the addresspool to requesting client devices within a first mobile environment; andassigning IP addresses from a second portion of the address pool torequesting client devices within a second mobile environment; andproviding the content provider with visibility into each micro-cachedevice and control of access rights to each micro-cache device by theclient devices within each mobile environment, wherein the visibilityinto a micro-cache device includes visibility of what content from thecontent provider at the micro-cache device has been copied anddistributed to the client devices.
 14. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the address manager is toreport the portions of the IP address pool assigned to each mobileenvironment.
 15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14wherein the mobile environment comprises a transportation vehicle orvessel.
 16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15further comprising: a mobile high speed network interface within eachmobile environment to establish a high bandwidth link to a fixed highspeed network interface when the transportation vehicle or vessel iswithin range.
 17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16wherein the fixed high speed network interface is coupled to acorresponding micro-cache device to enable a high bandwidth connectionto the content provider and/or a content service provider for mobileenvironments.
 18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17wherein the content provider or content service provider for mobileenvironments is to update the corresponding micro-cache device with newcontent upon the high bandwidth link being established.
 19. The systemof claim 1, wherein the content provider, based on a request for contentfrom a requesting client device, identifying a micro-cache device withina corresponding mobile environment to serve the request for contentbased on IP address matching.
 20. The system of claim 1, wherein thecontent provider, based on a request for content from a requestingclient device, identifying a content provider cache at a location toserve the request for content based on IP address matching.